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Hikers have described encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China stated that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had nearly buried the top," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the storm 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 neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of tourists for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online depicted shelters buried in snow and rows of trekkers moving through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

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

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

The regional travel department said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in Nepal.