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Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China stated that around 350 individuals 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 Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest 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 east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of visitors for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers moving through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

The regional travel department announced ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.