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Hikers have described encountering "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 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 Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had nearly buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Media outlets stated that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide said he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.