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Trekkers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, detailing a "intense snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," shared another trekker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet showed tents buried in snow and lines of hikers walking through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been reached, the reports said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

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

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.