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Hikers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China stated that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely 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 eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was heavy 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 easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of visitors for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers walking through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Local news stated that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.