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Rescue teams have successfully guided all of the last trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to safety, along with scores of regional escorts and animal tenders, authorities stated. This marks the end one of the most extensive search-and-rescue missions ever conducted in the region.

Massive Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of explorers were became trapped in deep snow over the weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful blizzard deposited substantial snowfall across the territory.

Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had guided approximately 350 hikers to safety.

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

In total, 580 hikers, along with more than 300 local guides, yak herders, and other assistants were brought out, according to official reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Describe Harsh Situations

One Chinese trekker described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

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

Expedition Plans Disrupted

The snowstorm also thwarted the objectives of mountaineers guided by a American expedition company to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first discovered by western travelers a century ago. In modern times, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel draw, the area has brought in an rising number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists explored the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number.

Region Still Off-Limits

The Everest region remains temporarily closed to the general public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also affected many of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual succumbed, due to a blend of low body temperature and high-altitude illness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with normally sunny and mild weather, but one member of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”