A powerful blizzard struck the eastern Tibetan slope of Mount Everest on 3 October, trapping nearly 1,000 climbers and trekkers at camps above 4,900 metres. The storm, one of the most severe in recent years on the mountain, swept through the Everest Scenic Area with heavy snow and plunging temperatures that quickly turned routine expeditions into emergencies.
Hundreds of climbers were evacuated to safety in nearby towns, but many others remained stranded as snow blocked roads and made trails impassable. Rescue operations were slowed by poor visibility and dangerous terrain, leaving some groups without contact for long periods. The scale of the disruption turned the evacuation into one of the largest Himalayan rescue efforts in recent memory.
