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Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Officials in China stated that approximately 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side 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 holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected 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 conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, detailing a "intense snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost buried the top," said another trekker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Local news reported that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.