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Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 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 Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the valley as well; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed shelters buried in snow and rows of hikers walking through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path 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.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports indicated. Local news reported that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the area, with usually clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.