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Rescue teams have safely led all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to security, including scores of local guides and livestock handlers, officials stated. This wraps up one of the biggest rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the area.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Completed

Several hundred of hikers were left stranded in thick snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly fierce snowstorm deposited heavy snowfall across the territory.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had guided approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Initial updates had indicated that the last group of roughly 200 individuals were anticipated to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other crew members were evacuated, according to government statements released on Tuesday evening.

Those Rescued Recount Severe Conditions

One Chinese traveler described how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Expedition Plans Thwarted

The snowstorm also thwarted the objectives of alpinists escorted by a American climbing company to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and Nepal.

Visitor Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first discovered by international adventurers a long time ago. In modern times, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant tourism destination, the area has attracted an rising number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, establishing a all-time high.

Area Remains Closed

The Everest region is still for the time being off-limits to the visitors, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The significant snowfall over the weekend also affected many of trekkers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler died, due to a combination of low body temperature and altitude sickness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with usually sunny and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person expedition team that got back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “atypical.”