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Trekkers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

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 Tibetan side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" 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 first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was heavy in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

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 visitors for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted tents covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

There was little official reporting 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 area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is restricted. The weather also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.