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Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

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

Large groups of tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost covered the top," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the valley too; 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 high numbers of visitors for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online depicted tents covered by snow and rows of trekkers moving through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports indicated. Local news reported that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

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

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.