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Hikers have recounted encountering "harsh" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China stated that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

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

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the snow had nearly covered the top," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

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

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we learned the snow was heavy in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for easier trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted tents buried in snow and lines of hikers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. 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 the weekend, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Local news stated that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the area, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, among 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

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

The regional travel department announced ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from Saturday.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.