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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had traveled to the region 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 the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, 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 covered the top," shared another trekker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted tents buried in snow and lines of hikers walking through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

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

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The weather also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a peak season for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but one trekker, among 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.