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Hikers have described facing "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

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

"This was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, describing a "intense snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet showed tents buried in snow and rows of hikers moving through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the region, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in Nepal.