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Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, 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 top," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened 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 Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the snow was heavy in the lowlands as well; 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 neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets reported that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the area, with usually clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.