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Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped 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 area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the top," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the valley as well; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed shelters buried in snow and rows of hikers moving through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 people 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 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Local news stated that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also appears to have 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.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but one trekker, among 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.