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Trekkers have recounted facing "harsh" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

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

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the Nepal side of the border and draws large crowds of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

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

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports indicated. Local news stated that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit 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.