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Trekkers have described facing "harsh" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded 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 area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was heavy in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted tents covered by snow and rows of hikers moving through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Media outlets reported that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort 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 tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants 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 not experienced 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 suspended from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.