🔗 Share this article

Hikers have recounted encountering "extreme" situations after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China stated that around 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side 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 festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected the area on Friday and Saturday night, stranding numerous of people at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the harshest weather I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "intense snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost covered the peak," said a hiker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China mentioned their party had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on the next day as the conditions deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we discovered the snow was intense in the lowlands too; villagers, unable to contact 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 attracts high numbers of tourists for less technical hiking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

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

"The snow was extremely thick, and the path extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

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, "in good health," official sources announced.

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

There was little official reporting or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the authorities, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, 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, among 18 participants of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader told us he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it happened all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered landslides and sudden flooding that have closed routes, washed away bridges, and killed at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.