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Hikers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China 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.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had nearly covered the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the valley as well; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

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

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online showed tents covered by snow and lines of trekkers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers 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 Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the region, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority announced ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides 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.