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Hikers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

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

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost buried the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we learned the snow was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to contact their family 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 attracts high numbers of visitors for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted tents buried in snow and rows of hikers moving through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers 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, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled 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 said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 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 not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in Nepal.