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Hikers have described facing "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups 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 intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

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

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had nearly buried the peak," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was heavy in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers moving through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Local news stated that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers reported power was out 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 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.