The World's Highest Peak Hikers Report 'Severe' Conditions as Large-Scale Operation Persists

Hikers have recounted encountering "harsh" situations after an unexpected snowstorm during one of China's most crowded festive periods stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China stated that around 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, Chinese authorities, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had affected 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).

"It was the harshest conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on Weibo, detailing a "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"I looked up in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had almost buried the top," shared a hiker on a social platform. "That was the first time I genuinely experienced the terror of being buried alive."

Eyewitness Reports

One Chinese trekker said their party had been "too frightened to sleep" on Saturday as accumulation quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

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

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

Visual Evidence

Images and footage shared on the internet showed tents buried in snow and lines of trekkers walking through waist-high drifts to descend the mountain.

"The snow was extremely thick, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who clarified that all safely descended and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By the weekend, about 350 people had reached Qudang, a village about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "safe and sound," official sources reported.

At least 200 additional were still stranded but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets stated that scores of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from blocking the exit route.

There was little official reporting or updated information about the rescue effort on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the weather had affected individuals on the north face of Everest, within the same region. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have disrupted local communications, with attempts to contact shops not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

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

"The guide said he had not experienced such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."

The regional travel department announced ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by severe conditions. Heavy rains caused mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.