Mount Everest Hikers Describe 'Severe' Conditions as Massive Rescue Effort Persists

Trekkers have described encountering "harsh" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded festive periods trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, sparking a massive rescue effort.

Rescue Operations In Progress

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated 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 eight-day holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed heavy snowfall had affected the area on the weekend, trapping numerous of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

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

"I looked up in the middle of the night and noticed that the accumulation had almost buried the top," shared another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "It was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their tents, forcing them to clear it hourly. They chose to go down on the next day as the weather deteriorated.

"On the way, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the storm was intense in the lowlands as well; locals, unable to contact their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and attracts large crowds of tourists for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Online Documentation

Images and footage posted online depicted tents covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through deep drifts to descend the mountain.

"It was extremely thick, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – some fell, some were jostled by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibetan base camp of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources announced.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports indicated. Local news stated that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to help people and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or new details about the rescue effort 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 media entry is restricted. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, 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 region, with usually clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a hiking party that returned to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide told us he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

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

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since the start of the weekend in the neighboring country.