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Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 people 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 tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer 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).

"This was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was intense in the valley as well; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers moving through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

There was minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The weather also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The local tourism authority said admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.