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Hikers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet 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 control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the snow had almost covered the peak," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was intense in the valley as well; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted tents covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Local news stated that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. 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 journalistic access is limited. 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.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered such weather in October. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.