Nearly 1,000 hikers stuck on Mount Everest as huge blizzard closes in

There are fears of fatalities among a huge group of hikers stranded in a fierce blizzard on Mount Everest.

A massive rescue operation has been launched with local villagers digging through heavy snow in an effort to free the hikers trapped at 5,000 feet above sea level.

Adventure-seeking tourists’ tents had been crushed by heavy snowfall with others left in critical condition from hypothermia as temperatures plummeted, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

The trekkers became stranded as unusually heavy precipitation pummelled the Himalayas, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.

As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers had been made. The CCTV report did not say if local guides and support staff of the