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Trekkers have recounted facing "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, detailing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we learned the storm was heavy in the lowlands too; villagers, 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 high numbers of tourists for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of trekkers moving through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

There was little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

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

"The guide said he had not experienced such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered landslides 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.