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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

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.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the snow had nearly buried the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the storm was heavy in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed tents buried in snow and lines of trekkers moving through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down 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 announced.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been reached, the reports said. Local news stated that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The weather also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the area, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.