Everest Closed by Heavy Snow; Rescue Helicopter Crashes Near Base Camp

KATHMANDU, NEPAL – Both the Nepali and Chinese sides of the Mount Everest region were shut down to tourism on Wednesday due to heavy, unseasonable snowfall, which also led to a helicopter crash during a mission to rescue stranded trekkers.

The region, popular with thousands of climbers and hikers, has been blanketed in deep snow since Monday, the result of Cyclone Montha churning across India from the Bay of Bengal and bringing a second round of severe Himalayan snowfall this month.

In a dramatic incident near Everest Base Camp, a small private helicopter attempting to reach stranded trekkers near Lobuche crashed while trying to land in the deep snowdrifts.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul confirmed the crash, stating the helicopter slipped on the snow. Video footage showed the aircraft lying on its side. Fortunately, the pilot survived and was later rescued. The status of the trekkers the pilot was attempting to reach remains unclear.

Nepali authorities have halted trekking on numerous high-altitude routes, urging hikers to avoid the Annapurna, Manaslu, and Dhaulagiri areas. Weather officials have forecast heavy rain and snow to continue through Thursday and Friday as Cyclone Montha, which roared into India’s Andhra Pradesh state, passes through the region.

On the Tibetan side of Everest, ticket sales were suspended Tuesday afternoon by the tourism department of Tingri county. Roads have become icy, and visibility has plunged, creating impassable conditions for all vehicular traffic. It is currently unknown if any tourists are trapped in the Everest region in Tibet.

The closure comes just weeks after a separate blizzard in early October stranded hundreds of trekkers near the eastern face of Everest in Tibet, requiring a multi-day rescue operation. Additionally, Nepal is grappling with the aftermath of recent heavy rains that triggered floods and landslides, resulting in over 50 deaths.

Temperatures in the region are expected to dip further below freezing this week, compounding the dangers for anyone remaining on the high trails.