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Trekkers have described facing "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 individuals had made their way down 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 tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the storm was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their children 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, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online depicted tents buried in snow and lines of trekkers moving through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Local news stated that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the area, with usually clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "unusual."

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

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.