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Hikers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China reported that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day 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 numerous of individuals at campsites 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 hiking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had nearly buried the peak," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

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 tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts large crowds of visitors for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

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

"It was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

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

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Local news stated that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or new details about the operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The weather also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority announced ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.