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Trekkers have described encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had nearly buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we learned the storm was heavy in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers moving through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the reports said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the area, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

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

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.