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Rescue teams have safely led all of the remaining hikers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, including numerous of local guides and yak herders, authorities stated. This concludes one of the biggest rescue and recovery operations ever seen in the zone.

Massive Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of hikers were found themselves stuck in deep snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an exceptionally powerful winter blast dumped heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow kept coming down throughout Saturday in the valley, which rests at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Initial updates had suggested that the remaining roughly 200 hikers were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other support staff were evacuated, according to government reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Recount Severe Conditions

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

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

Expedition Schedules Thwarted

The blizzard also disrupted the objectives of climbers guided by a American mountaineering company to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by foreign adventurers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism attraction, the area has drawn an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, establishing a new record.

Region Remains Closed

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

Broader Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected many of trekkers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler succumbed, due to a combination of hypothermia and altitude sickness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a high season for the area, with usually sunny and moderate weather, but one member of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “not normal.”