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Search parties have safely led all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, including hundreds of local guides and animal tenders, authorities stated. This marks the end one of the largest search-and-rescue missions ever conducted in the area.

Large-Scale Evacuation Operation Completed

Hundreds of hikers were left stranded in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an exceptionally fierce winter blast deposited substantial snowfall across the region.

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

Earlier reports had indicated that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

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

Those Rescued Recount Severe Conditions

One from China hiker shared how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to move to lower ground on Sunday as the situation became more severe.

“On the way, we came across 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, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the objectives of alpinists guided by a US-based expedition outfit to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by foreign explorers a hundred years ago. In recent years, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor attraction, the area has brought in an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, setting a all-time high.

Region Remains Closed

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

Broader Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also impacted many of trekkers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a mix of exposure and high-altitude illness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally clear and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person expedition team that made it back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “not normal.”