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Hikers have described facing "harsh" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of individuals at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

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

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the top," shared a hiker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

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

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations 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 depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of trekkers moving through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the updates said. Local news reported that scores of rescuers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow 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 storm had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region 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 failing. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

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

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.