Hundreds rescued near Mount Everest after being stranded by blizzard

Hundreds of people have been guided to safety after being stranded in a blizzard near the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, according to Chinese state media.

Around 350 trekkers have reached the small township of Qudang after rescuers cleared access to their campsites, said Chinese Central Television (CCTV). More than 200 other people who remained stranded close to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest were also in contact with rescuers and were due to arrive in Qudang in stages, it added.

Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been sent to help clear snow blocking access to the area, which is at an altitude above 4,000 metres (16,000ft), according to state-backed Jimu News. The organisation estimated that almost 1,000 people had originally been trapped after unusually heavy snowfall and rain struck the Himalayas on Friday and Saturday.

'The weather this year is not normal' October is a peak season, when skies usually clear at the end of the Indian monsoon. "It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk," said Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong trekking team that safely got to Qudang.

"The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October.

And it happened all too suddenly." The number of visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the Kangshung face, was in the hundreds this week, swelled by an eight-day national holiday in China. It was not known if trekkers close to the north face of Everest, which is also in Tibet, had been affected by the blizzard.

Read more from Sky News:Hostage release talks imminent to kickstart Gaza peace dealEarthquake survivors fear harsh winter after villages wiped out The north face attracts large numbers of visitors due to its easy access by paved road. Landslides after heavy rainfall To the south of Tibet in Nepal, at least 47 people have been killed since Friday after heavy rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads and washed away bridges.

Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country..