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Hikers have described facing "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

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

Crowds of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall 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).

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense in the valley as well; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

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

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters buried in snow and rows of hikers moving through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Media outlets reported that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.