The World's Highest Peak Trekkers Report 'Extreme' Conditions as Massive Operation Continues

Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had made their way down 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.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

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

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was heavy in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the Nepal side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for easier trekking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online showed shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 participants of a hiking party 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 all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in Nepal.