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Hikers have described facing "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China stated that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

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

"It was extremely thick, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers 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 reports indicated. Local news stated that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

The local tourism authority announced ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.