The World's Highest Peak Trekkers Describe 'Severe' Conditions as Large-Scale Rescue Effort Persists

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

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China reported that around 350 people had descended safely but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had affected 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 harshest conditions I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker stated on Weibo, describing a "violent convective blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the initial instance I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their shelters, compelling them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the conditions worsened.

"On the way, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the storm was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to reach their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for less technical trekking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet showed tents buried in snow and lines of trekkers walking through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, some were jostled by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Media outlets reported that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on Monday. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. Several trekkers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they arrived.

Seasonal Context

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

"Our leader said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Torrential downpours triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 people since the start of the weekend in Nepal.