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Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities stated 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 tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the snow had almost buried the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to descend on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the storm was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts large crowds of visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online showed tents buried in snow and rows of trekkers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

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

There was minimal updates or updated information about the operation on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

"The guide said he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority announced admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.