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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China stated that around 350 people 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 visitors 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 heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of people at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands as well; villagers, 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 Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online showed tents covered by snow and lines of trekkers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets reported that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period 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 weather this year was "unusual."

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

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.