🔗 Share this article

Trekkers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of individuals at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That 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 frightened to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. That's when we discovered the storm was intense 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 more accessible than sites on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers moving through deep snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers often slipped – 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, approximately 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media announced.

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

There was little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the region, with usually clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.