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Trekkers have recounted encountering "harsh" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 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 Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the valley as well; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of visitors for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online showed tents buried in snow and lines of hikers moving through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Media outlets stated that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the region, with typically clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department said admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.