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Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that around 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 region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of individuals at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense snowstorm on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had almost buried the peak," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the storm was heavy in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers moving through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been reached, the reports indicated. Local news stated that scores of emergency workers had gone up 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 the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in Nepal.