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Trekkers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking 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, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding hundreds of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to go down on the next day as the conditions worsened.

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

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online showed tents buried in snow and lines of hikers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Media outlets stated that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

There was little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back 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 happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department announced admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.