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Hikers have described facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China stated that around 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 Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost buried the top," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the snow was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

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

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets reported that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

There was minimal updates or updated information about the operation on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.