Bad Weather Strands Travelers at Mt. Everest

A group of about 2,000 people are stranded in the foothills of Mount Everest in Nepal because of bad weather, officials say.

Foreign hikers, Nepalese guides and porters are among those who have been stuck in the area for five days as the Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla, Nepal, is out of commission, the BBC reported.

Food is running low and hotels are overrun with guests who are unable to leave due to the weather conditions.

Some helicopters were able to remove some tourists from the area Friday, but that effort was also hampered by the weather. Air traffic controllers say the bad weather is unlikely to shift for days.

Many hotel owners have sent word to inns further up Everest that trekkers there should not descend the mountains, as there is no room left downhill.

Last year, similar conditions left tourists stranded for about 15 days, resulting in a severe food and health crisis.