Mount Qomolangma scenic area reopens after 6.8-magnitude Xizang quake

LHASA -- The Mount Qomolangma scenic area reopened to the public on Saturday after a temporary closure following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake which hit Dingri county, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, in January 2025.

As of 8 am, a total of eight vehicles carrying 19 visitors had entered the scenic area. Yang Bo, a tourist from Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, was the first to enter the area on Saturday.

"I waited in Dingri county last night for its reopening, and I was so excited that I finally got to see Mount Qomolangma," he said.

On Jan 7, a 6.8-magnitude quake struck Dingri, home to the northern base camp of the world's highest peak, Mount Qomolangma, claiming 126 lives. The scenic area was closed on the same day for the sake of the safety of tourists and staff.

As of Feb 28, Mount Qomolangma had not been affected by the quake, with no obvious icefalls, avalanches or geological changes being observed, according to Ma Weiqiang, director of Mount Qomolangma Atmosphere and Environment Comprehensive Observation and Research Station under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"This shows that the scenic area has the safe conditions necessary for reopening," Ma said.

To prepare for the reopening, the local government formed a joint inspection working group on Jan 22, which took 35 days to carry out comprehensive and meticulous inspections on important locations in the scenic area.

"Only through comprehensive inspections could we ensure the safety of tourists when the scenic area reopened," said Pasang, a maintenance worker at the scenic area.

The local accommodation industry is also ready for the reopening. "All 35 rooms have been cleaned up and half of the rooms have already been booked," said Tsering Geden, a hotel owner in the county's Pasum village.

Last year, the Mount Qomolangma scenic area received more than 547,600 domestic and overseas tourists -- an increase of 18 percent year on year, including 13,700 overseas tourists, mainly from Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and France.

During this same period, the revenue of the scenic area exceeded 110 million yuan (about $15.3 million), up 1.4 percent year on year.