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Rescue teams have escorted all of the remaining trekkers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, including hundreds of native guides and yak herders, local government announced. This marks the end one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the zone.

Large-Scale Evacuation Operation Concluded

Numerous of hikers were found themselves stuck in heavy snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful snowstorm deposited significant snowfall across the region.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had escorted approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

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

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 guides, yak herders, and other crew members were evacuated, according to government announcements released on Tuesday night.

Survivors Describe Severe Situations

One Chinese traveler described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They opted to go down on Sunday as the weather became more severe.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was deep in the valley, too; villagers, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Schedules Disrupted

The severe weather also disrupted the goals of climbers guided by a American expedition firm to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by international adventurers a long time ago. In modern times, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism attraction, the area has attracted an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 tourists explored the Everest region last year, setting a new record.

Region Still Off-Limits

The Everest region remains temporarily off-limits to the public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

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

Unusual Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with usually fine and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person expedition team that returned safely to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “unusual.”