🔗 Share this article Mount Everest Hikers Describe 'Severe' Weather as Massive Operation Persists Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort. Evacuation Efforts In Progress Chinese authorities reported that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border. Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet). "It was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest. "Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had nearly buried the peak," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow." Personal Accounts A hiker from China said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on the next day as the conditions deteriorated. "During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried." The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak. Visual Evidence Images and footage shared on the internet depicted shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers walking through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain. "It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus. Current Status By the weekend, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media reported. At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route. There was little official reporting or updated information about the operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The weather also appears to have have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town. Seasonal Context October is a peak season for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual." "Our leader told us he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it occurred very abruptly." The local tourism authority announced admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend. Broader Effects Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.