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Hikers have recounted encountering "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China stated that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the snow had nearly buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was intense in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted tents covered by snow and lines of trekkers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Local news reported that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department announced ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.