🔗 Share this article The World's Highest Peak Hikers Describe 'Severe' Weather as Massive Rescue Effort Continues Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation. Evacuation Efforts Underway Chinese authorities stated that approximately 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border. Large groups of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet). "This was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated 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 accumulation had almost covered the peak," shared a hiker on a social platform. "It was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow." Eyewitness Reports One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated. "On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. That's when we learned the snow was intense in the valley too; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried." The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the Nepal side of the border and attracts large crowds of visitors for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak. Online Documentation Images and footage shared on the internet depicted tents covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain. "It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus. Current Status By the weekend, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced. At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Local news stated that scores of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out. Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation 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 journalistic access is limited. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived. Seasonal Context Autumn is a peak season for the region, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual." "The guide said he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it happened very abruptly." The local tourism authority said admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend. Regional Impact Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.