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Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of individuals 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 trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had almost buried the top," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the storm was heavy in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of hikers moving through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been reached, the updates indicated. Local news reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the region, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department said admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.