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Hikers have described facing "harsh" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China stated that around 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 Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

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 visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of trekkers moving through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the reports said. Media outlets reported that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the storm had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced such weather in October. And it occurred all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority announced ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from Saturday.

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.