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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive 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.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day 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 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 hiking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They chose to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"It was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," said one, who added that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets stated that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.