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Trekkers have recounted facing "harsh" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

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

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had almost covered the top," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to clear it hourly. They decided to go down on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the snow was heavy in the valley too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets stated that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the region, with typically clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it occurred all too suddenly."

The regional travel department announced ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.