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Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China reported that approximately 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 Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, 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, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was heavy in the valley as well; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of hikers moving through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had not experienced such weather in October. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

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