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Hikers have described facing "harsh" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China stated that approximately 350 people 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 Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang said on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had almost buried the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was heavy in the valley as well; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet showed tents covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the reports indicated. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from blocking the way out.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.