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Hikers have recounted encountering "harsh" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

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

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to contact their children 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 easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted tents buried in snow and rows of trekkers walking through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Local news stated that hundreds of rescuers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The weather also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide told us he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.