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Hikers have recounted encountering "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "intense snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the snow had almost buried the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"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 too; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the exit route.

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the region, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.