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Search parties have safely led all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to safety, including scores of native guides and livestock handlers, officials reported. This concludes one of the most extensive rescue and recovery missions ever seen in the zone.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Completed

Hundreds of hikers were left stranded in thick snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense winter blast dumped substantial snowfall across the area.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had escorted approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Initial updates had suggested that the remaining roughly 200 hikers were projected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other crew members were rescued, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday evening.

Those Rescued Describe Harsh Situations

One from China 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 chose to move to lower ground on Sunday as the conditions became more severe.

“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we found out the snow was intense in the valley, too; local residents, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Plans Disrupted

The snowstorm also hindered the objectives of climbers escorted by a United States climbing company to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by western travelers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel destination, the area has brought in an growing number of tourists. More than 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number.

Region Still Closed

The Everest region remains for the time being closed to the visitors, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

The significant snowfall over the weekend also influenced hundreds of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one individual died, due to a combination of exposure and altitude sickness.

Unusual Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with normally sunny and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person expedition team that returned safely to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “unusual.”