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Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China stated that around 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the top," shared another trekker on a social platform. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was heavy in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted tents covered by snow and rows of trekkers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

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

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been reached, the reports said. Local news reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

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

"The guide told us he had not experienced such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department announced ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in Nepal.