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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

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

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared another trekker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern 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 depicted tents covered by snow and lines of trekkers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Local news stated that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The weather also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in Nepal.