🔗 Share this article

Trekkers have recounted encountering "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded hundreds of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities 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 Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, local officials, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, without question," a Chinese trekker stated on social media, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the accumulation had nearly buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide’s parent who had searched for him. It was then we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"It was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the updates said. Media outlets stated that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

There was minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected individuals on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The weather also appears to have have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with usually clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.