ð Share this article Mount Everest Trekkers Report 'Severe' Weather as Large-Scale Operation Continues Hikers have described facing "harsh" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort. Rescue Operations In Progress Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east 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 administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding 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 trekking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, detailing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest. "I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had nearly covered the top," shared another trekker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being engulfed by snow." Eyewitness Reports One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened. "On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense 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 attracts high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak. Online Documentation Photos and video posted online depicted tents covered by snow and rows of trekkers walking through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain. "It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently â some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who added that all safely descended and were picked up by bus. Latest Developments By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported. No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and clear snow from obstructing the way out. Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town. Weather Patterns October is a peak season for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, among 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal." "The guide said he had never encountered such weather in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly." The local tourism authority announced admissions and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday. Broader Effects Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.