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Trekkers have recounted encountering "harsh" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

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, located 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, local officials, 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 elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had almost covered the peak," shared another trekker on a social platform. "That was the first time I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the storm was intense in the valley as well; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed tents buried in snow and lines of hikers moving through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with typically clear and mild weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

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

The local tourism authority said ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from Saturday.

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.