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Trekkers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 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 visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of individuals 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 hiking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the snow had nearly covered the top," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to descend on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online showed tents covered by snow and lines of hikers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Hikers 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.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports said. Local news reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

There was little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

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

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well 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.