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Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities stated that around 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, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost buried the top," shared a hiker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to go down on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense in the valley 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 visitors for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online showed shelters covered by snow and lines of trekkers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 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.

There was minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the area, with usually clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

The regional travel department said ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.