🔗 Share this article

Trekkers have recounted facing "extreme" conditions after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 people 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.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of people at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, without question," a Chinese trekker said on social media, detailing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the snow had nearly covered the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers moving through waist-high drifts to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the reports said. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The weather also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the area, with typically calm and pleasant weather, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.