🔗 Share this article

Trekkers have recounted facing "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, stranding numerous of people at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and noticed that the snow had nearly covered the top," shared a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the fear of being engulfed by snow."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on that night as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to clear it hourly. They decided to descend on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the storm was intense in the valley too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than sites on the Nepal side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for easier trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage shared on the internet depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of trekkers walking through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path very slick. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," said one, who clarified that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By the weekend, about 350 individuals had arrived in Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the reports indicated. Local news stated that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

There was minimal updates or new details about the operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the storm had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The area is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. Several trekkers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

October is a peak season for the region, with usually clear and mild conditions, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were affected as well by severe conditions. Torrential downpours caused landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.