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Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 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 visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who control 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 elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

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

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

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

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online depicted tents covered by snow and rows of hikers moving through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports indicated. Media outlets stated that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

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