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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost covered the top," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we learned the snow was intense 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 locations on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"It was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who added that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with typically clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

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

The local tourism authority said admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.