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Trekkers have described facing "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China stated that approximately 350 people had made their way down 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.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang 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 snow had almost buried the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it hourly. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was heavy in the lowlands 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 draws large crowds of tourists for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted tents buried in snow and lines of hikers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Local news 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. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with typically clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in Nepal.