By Ryan Woo
BEIJING (Reuters) -Unseasonally heavy snow has prompted authorities in the Tibet side of Mount Everest to halt visitor access to the world’s highest mountain, a notice showed, as a cyclone moving across India effected weather changes far up in the Himalayas.
Ticket sales to the scenic area were suspended from early Tuesday afternoon, as snow and ice gathered in parts of the area and a county meteorological bureau warned of snowstorms.
The conditions were unsuitable for vehicle passage, warned the tourism department in Tingri, Tibet’s most populous county on China’s border with Nepal.
It was unclear if there were tourists trapped inside the Everest region in Tibet. The press office of the Tibetan government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Cyclone Montha was forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rains to India’s east coast as it intensified over the Bay of Bengal, forcing authorities to move 50,000 people to relief camps on Monday.
Earlier this month, a blizzard stranded hundreds of trekkers near the eastern face of Mount Everest in Tibet as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas. Rescuers guided the hikers to a small township of Qudang.
Weather forecast data shows temperatures in Tingri are expected to dip further below freezing in the coming days.
Across the border in Nepal’s western and northern Himalayan regions, media reported heavy snowfall and rain that was severely affecting trekking activities including in the Annapurna Base Camp, Manaslu Circuit and Mustang.
Nepal’s disaster authorities have warned of rain and snow through Friday.
Officials have shut the trail to Annapurna Base Camp and advised trekkers to remain in lodges or to descend, Nepalese media reported.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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