The World's Highest Peak Hikers Report 'Severe' Conditions as Large-Scale Operation Continues

Trekkers have recounted facing "harsh" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China reported that around 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of individuals at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my hiking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, describing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had nearly covered the peak," said a hiker on a social platform. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear 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 tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide's father who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the snow 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 easier to reach than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of tourists for easier hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Hikers 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 Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

No fewer than 200 more were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates said. Local news stated that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or new details about the operation 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 journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, among 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.