Beijing (PTI): Rescue efforts were underway on Sunday in the remote Tibetan slopes of Mount Everest where a blizzard has trapped nearly 1,000 people in campsites on the eastern side of the world's tallest mountain.

Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to clear out snow blocking access to the area which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900 metres.

Some tourists have already been rescued, BBC reported, quoting local media.

Heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and has intensified on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet, which is an area popular with climbers and hikers.

Neighbouring Nepal too has been battered by heavy rains which triggered landslides and flash floods resulting in the death of 52 people.

Mt Everest, called Mt Qomolangma in China, is

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