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Hikers have described facing "harsh" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Officials in China reported that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the snow had almost buried the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was heavy in the valley too; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online showed shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers walking through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – 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, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates said. Local news reported that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the way out.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

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

"The guide told us he had not experienced such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The local tourism authority said admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.