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

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had nearly buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers walking through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

There was minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the area, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.