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Trekkers have described encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China stated that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the top," said a hiker on a social platform. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to clear it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted tents buried in snow and rows of trekkers walking through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," noted a trekker, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the region, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it occurred very abruptly."

The local tourism authority announced admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.