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Trekkers have described encountering "extreme" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 people had made their way down 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 tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it hourly. They decided to go down on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority said ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.