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Hikers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard 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 a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted tents buried in snow and rows of trekkers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets reported that scores of emergency workers 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 the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.