By Ryan Woo
BEIJING (Reuters) -More than 200 trekkers still stranded in freezing temperatures near the eastern face of Everest in Tibet are expected to be evacuated by Tuesday, a source familiar with the situation said, after unexpectedly strong snowstorms tore across western China.
Outdoor enthusiasts have flocked to China's rugged interior since an eight-day holiday began on October 1, but a sudden blizzard over the weekend caught off guard hundreds of hikers hoping to catch a glimpse of Everest's Kangshung face.
Their evacuation, which began on Monday, should be completed by Tuesday, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity in the absence of authorisation to speak to media on the matter. Tibet's regional government had no immediate comment.
FOLLOWING FOOTPRINTS IN HEAVY SNOW
Snow fell through Saturday in Tibet's remote Karma valley, at an average altitude of 4,200 m (13,800 ft). On Sunday, rescuers had guided about 350 stranded hikers to safety.
"Thankfully, some people ahead of us were breaking trail, leaving footprints we could follow - that made it a little easier," said Eric Wen, 41, adding that he trudged through 19 km (12 miles), most of it heavy snow, to leave the valley.
"Otherwise, it would've been impossible for us to make it out on our own."
There had been no official word on the condition of the remaining trekkers as of Tuesday evening, even though Chinese state media reported that communication with them had been established.
"If there is bad weather coming in, trekkers and climbers should alert local authorities exactly where they are and should stay in a safe place - either a shelter, lodge, or tent that is clear of avalanche zones or far from the riverbed or somehow sheltered," British mountaineer Adriana Brownlee told Reuters.
"All trekkers and climbers should always carry at least one satellite phone or tracking device."
First explored by Western travellers a century ago, the Karma valley is relatively pristine. But it is less visited compared to the north face of Everest, where there is road access. More than 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region last year, a new record.
'METRE OF SNOW'
The snowstorm also thwarted the plans of climbers guided by U.S.-based Madison Mountaineering to summit Cho Oyu, a 8,188-m (26,864-ft) peak on China's border with Nepal that is the world's sixth highest.
"A major storm suddenly developed and dumped over a metre of snow on Everest and the surrounding Himalayan peaks," expedition leader Garrett Madison told Reuters in a text message on Tuesday.
When the weather improves, they aim to resume their ascent.
North of Tibet, one trekker died of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness after being stranded by snowstorms on Sunday in a gully in the Qilian Mountains on the border of the western provinces of Qinghai and Gansu.
By Tuesday, all of the 251 hikers in the Qilian area who survived the snowstorms had been pulled to safety, China Central Television (CCTV) said.
Authorities further west in the region of Xinjiang suspended hiking and camping in the lake district of Kanas in the Altai mountains. Police have so far convinced more than 300 hikers heading for the area to turn back, the broadcaster said.
Police patrolling the area on Sunday had encountered a group of 16 hikers, one of whom, showing symptoms of hypothermia and unable to move, was taken to hospital and is now in stable condition, according to CCTV.
Highways in the area that had been covered by dangerous ice and snow, paralyzing road traffic including tourist buses, have since been cleared.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo and Beijing Newsroom, Joyce Zhou in Hong Kong and Gopal Sharma in Kathmandu; Editing by Kate Mayberry, Clarence Fernandez and Gareth Jones)
