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Hikers have described facing "harsh" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 people 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 Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was heavy in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to reach their family 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 easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and lines of trekkers walking through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been reached, the reports indicated. Local news reported that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

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

"The guide told us he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.