🔗 Share this article

Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Officials in China reported that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups 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 intense snow had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding hundreds of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had nearly covered the peak," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the snow was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of visitors for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of trekkers walking through deep snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"It was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that all safely descended and were picked up by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," state media reported.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Local news reported that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and media entry is limited. The conditions also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the area, with usually calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

The regional travel department said admissions and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by severe conditions. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.