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Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China stated that approximately 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 visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the snow had nearly covered the top," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense in the valley as well; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted tents buried in snow and rows of hikers moving through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but one trekker, among 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.