Almost 1,000 trapped on Tibetan side of Mount Everest by blizzard

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Rescue efforts were underway on Sunday to clear access to campsites on Tibet's eastern slope of Mount Everest, where nearly 1,000 people have been trapped by a blizzard that has blocked roads, according to Chinese state media reports. Hundreds of local villages and rescue teams have been deployed to help remove snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude above 4,900 metres (16,000 feet), according to a report in Jimu News. The snowfall began on Friday evening and continued throughout Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company, which said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday.