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Rescue teams have successfully guided all of the remaining trekkers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to security, including numerous of native guides and livestock handlers, local government reported. This concludes one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever seen in the region.

Massive Rescue Effort Concluded

Several hundred of trekkers were became trapped in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an exceptionally fierce snowstorm dumped significant snowfall across the territory.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which is located at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Earlier reports had indicated that the remaining roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, yak herders, and other support staff were brought out, according to official announcements released on Tuesday night.

Survivors Recount Extreme Situations

One from China traveler shared how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They opted to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

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

Climbing Schedules Disrupted

The blizzard also thwarted the goals of mountaineers guided by a American mountaineering company to ascend 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 explored by international explorers a hundred years ago. In recent years, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel attraction, the area has attracted an rising number of visitors. More than 540,000 visitors explored the Everest region last year, establishing a all-time high.

Region Still Closed

The Everest region is still for the time being inaccessible to the general public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The significant snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one person lost their life, due to a mix of exposure and altitude sickness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally fine and mild weather, but one trekker of an 18-person trekking group that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “unusual.”