KATHMANDU — The Nepali and Chinese sides of the Everest region were closed to tourism on Wednesday due to unseasonably heavy snow, and a helicopter crashed in deep snowdrifts as it tried to rescue stranded trekkers, Reuters reported.

A small private helicopter flying to Lobuche near the Everest Base Camp to rescue stranded trekkers crashed when it tried to land, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul said.

CAAN video showed the helicopter, which slipped on the snow while landing, lying on its side. The pilot survived and was later rescued. It was unclear whether the trekkers had been rescued.

The area surrounding Mount Everest, frequented by thousands of trekkers and climbers, has been covered in snow since Monday following the passage of a cyclone from the Bay of Bengal across India—marking the second significant snowfall to hit the Himalayas this month.

In response, Nepali authorities have suspended trekking activities on numerous hiking routes due to persistent rain in lower regions and heavy snowfall along higher trails. Officials have strongly advised hikers against setting out or continuing their expeditions in the Annapurna, Manaslu, and Dhaulagiri regions, which encompass some of the world’s highest mountains.

Weather officials have forecast heavy rain and snow on Thursday and Friday due to the passage of Cyclone Montha, which roared into India’s southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night.

On the Tibetan side of Everest, ticket sales had been suspended since Tuesday afternoon as roads turned icy and visibility plunged, creating impassable conditions for vehicular traffic, according to the tourism department of Tingri county.

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.

Weather forecast data shows temperatures in Tingri are expected to dip further below freezing this week.

In early October, a blizzard stranded hundreds of trekkers near the eastern face of Everest on the Tibetan side. All of the trekkers were taken to safety in a large-scale rescue operation that spanned several days under sub-freezing conditions.

In Nepal, more than 50 people had died due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains. — Agencies