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Trekkers have described facing "harsh" conditions after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China reported 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 Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my hiking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had searched for him. That's when we learned the snow was intense in the valley too; 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 trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed shelters buried in snow and rows of hikers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports indicated. Media outlets reported that hundreds of rescuers 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 operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the area, with usually clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide said he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority announced ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.