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Trekkers have described encountering "extreme" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 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 Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of individuals at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the storm was heavy in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

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

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Media outlets stated that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

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

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.