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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Chinese authorities stated that around 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.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared another trekker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates indicated. Local news reported that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.