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Hikers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 people had made their way down 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.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "intense snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the snow had nearly buried the top," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was heavy in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the neighboring 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 depicted tents covered by snow and lines of hikers walking through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Media outlets reported that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the region, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority said admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in Nepal.