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Emergency crews have successfully guided all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to a secure location, along with scores of local guides and animal tenders, officials stated. This marks the end one of the biggest rescue and recovery missions ever undertaken in the region.

Massive Evacuation Effort Concluded

Several hundred of hikers were found themselves stuck in deep snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually intense blizzard dumped significant snowfall across the area.

Snow kept coming down all day Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had led approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Earlier reports had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

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

Those Rescued Recount Severe Situations

One from China traveler recalled how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the situation became more severe.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we realized the snow was deep in the valley, too; villagers, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Climbing Schedules Disrupted

The severe weather also thwarted the plans of alpinists escorted by a US-based expedition firm to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by western explorers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel destination, the area has drawn an growing number of visitors. More than 540,000 sightseers traveled to the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number.

Area Remains Closed

The Everest region continues to be for the time being closed to the public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of trekkers in other parts of western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual died, due to a combination of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a high season for the area, with usually sunny and mild weather, but one trekker of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “unusual.”