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Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China reported that around 350 people had descended safely 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.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the snow was heavy in the valley as well; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"It was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added 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 roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates indicated. Local news stated that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

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

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.