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Hikers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had nearly covered the top," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet showed tents buried in snow and rows of hikers moving through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, some were jostled by yaks," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Local news reported that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The weather also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The local tourism authority 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 closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.