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Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of individuals at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had nearly buried the peak," said a hiker on a social platform. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was heavy in the valley as well; locals, unable to contact 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 draws high numbers of tourists for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of hikers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

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

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but one trekker, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered such weather in October. And it occurred all too suddenly."

The regional travel department announced ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.