Snowstorm traps hundreds of hikers on Mount Everest during China’s national holiday

BEIJING — Rescue workers were helping hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet, Chinese state media said late Sunday.

About 350 hikers had reached a meeting point in Tingri country, and rescuers were in contact with another 200, state broadcaster CCTV said. There was no immediate update on rescue efforts on Monday.

The hikers were trapped at an elevation of more than 16,000 feet, according to an earlier report from Jimu News, a Chinese online site. Mount Everest is about 29,000 feet tall.

A hiker who rushed to descend before snow blocked the way told Jimu News that others still on the mountain told him the snowfall had crushed tents.

Hundreds of rescuers headed up the mountain Sunday to clear paths and bring down trapped people, the Jimu report said.

The snowstorm struck during a weeklong national holiday in China.