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Rescue teams have successfully guided all of the last hikers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, including hundreds of regional escorts and yak herders, authorities announced. This marks the end one of the biggest rescue and recovery operations ever undertaken in the region.

Massive Evacuation Operation Completed

Several hundred of trekkers were became trapped in thick snow over the weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually intense blizzard unleashed significant snowfall across the area.

Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had led approximately 350 hikers to security.

Earlier reports had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, along with more than 300 escorts, livestock herders, and other assistants were rescued, according to authoritative announcements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Severe Situations

One from China hiker shared how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we found out the snow was intense in the valley, too; community members, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the goals of alpinists led by a American expedition outfit to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by foreign travelers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant tourism draw, the area has brought in an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers explored the Everest region last year, establishing a new record.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region continues to be temporarily inaccessible to the visitors, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Effect

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

Atypical Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with normally clear and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person trekking group that returned safely to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “not normal.”