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Trekkers have described facing "extreme" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China reported that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped 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 eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt 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 snow quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to descend on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

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, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain.

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

Latest Developments

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

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Media outlets reported that hundreds 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 updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The weather also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department said ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.