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Trekkers have recounted facing "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China stated that approximately 350 people 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 Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on social media, describing a "intense snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we learned the snow was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to reach their children 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 high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted tents buried in snow and rows of hikers moving through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

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

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide told us he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.