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Trekkers have recounted encountering "harsh" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side 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 festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the storm was heavy in the valley too; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers walking through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports indicated. Local news reported that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the area, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly."

The regional travel department said admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from Saturday.

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.