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Hikers have described facing "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday 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 weather worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of trekkers moving through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, 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 starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.