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Trekkers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of individuals 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 hiking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was intense in the valley too; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," state media reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the area, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.