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Hikers have described facing "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the snow was heavy in the lowlands too; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

There was little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.