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Trekkers have recounted facing "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, describing a "intense snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had nearly buried the top," shared a hiker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to go down on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense in the valley as well; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

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

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the region, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered such weather in October. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.