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Trekkers have described facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "intense snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had nearly buried the top," shared another trekker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters buried in snow and lines of hikers moving through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates said. Local news reported that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

There was minimal updates or updated information about the operation on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also appears to have have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, among 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

"The guide said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.