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Trekkers have described 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 operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that around 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 Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the storm was heavy in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

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

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of trekkers moving through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the operation on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the area, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had not experienced such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority said ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in Nepal.