🔗 Share this article

Trekkers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's busiest festive periods trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities stated that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated 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 week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had hit the area on Friday and Saturday night, trapping hundreds of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and noticed that the snow had nearly covered the peak," said another trekker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. It was then we discovered the storm was heavy in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The north and east side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the Nepal side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet showed tents covered by snow and lines of hikers moving through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 individuals had reached Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources reported.

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

Officials provided little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had impacted individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the authorities, and journalistic access is restricted. The weather also seemed to have affected phone services, with attempts to contact shops failing. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a busy period for the region, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, commented that the weather this year was "unusual."

"Our leader told us he had not experienced such weather 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.

Broader Effects

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in the neighboring country.