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Hikers have described encountering "extreme" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 people had made their way down 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 visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long 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).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the top," said another trekker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed shelters covered by snow and lines of trekkers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the reports said. Media outlets stated that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority announced admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.