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Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Officials in China stated that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the valley too; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed tents covered by snow and rows of hikers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

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

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Local news reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The weather also seemed to have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.