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Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding 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 ever faced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

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

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, 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, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Local news reported that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

There was minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The weather also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.