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Trekkers have recounted facing "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow 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).

"It was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had nearly covered the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

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

"The snow was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Media outlets stated that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

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

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.