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Hikers have recounted facing "harsh" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 individuals 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 visitors 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 intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "intense 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," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the snow was heavy in the valley too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet showed tents buried in snow and lines of trekkers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Media outlets reported that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced such weather in October. And it occurred very abruptly."

The local tourism authority announced admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.