The World's Highest Peak Hikers Report 'Severe' Weather as Massive Rescue Effort Continues

Hikers have described facing "harsh" conditions after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

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.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said heavy snowfall had hit the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest weather I've ever faced in all my hiking adventures, undoubtedly," a Chinese trekker said on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost buried the peak," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the initial instance I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

A hiker from China said their group had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

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

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws high numbers of visitors for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"It was very deep, and the path extremely slippery. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who added that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the updates indicated. Local news reported that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from blocking the exit route.

Officials provided little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had impacted anyone on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers reported electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but Chen Geshuang, among 18 members of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had not experienced conditions like this in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

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

Regional Impact

Adjacent nations were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains caused mudslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.