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Hikers have described facing "harsh" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China reported that around 350 individuals had descended safely 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 traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, detailing a "intense snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had nearly covered the top," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the snow was heavy in the valley too; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

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 extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets stated that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.