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Hikers have described encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Officials in China stated that around 350 individuals 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 Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit 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).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared another trekker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the valley too; locals, unable to contact their family 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 draws high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and lines of trekkers walking through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the reports said. Local news stated that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

The regional travel department announced admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.