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Hikers have described facing "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

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

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at campsites 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 hiking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the snow had almost buried the peak," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the snow was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

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

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers walking through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The weather also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.