🔗 Share this article

Hikers have described encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China stated that around 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping numerous of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the snow had almost covered the top," said a hiker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the snow was intense in the valley as well; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

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

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online showed tents covered by snow and rows of hikers moving through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had reached 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 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports said. Local news stated that hundreds of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had affected anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a busy period for the area, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had not experienced conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

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