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Search parties have successfully guided all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to security, including scores of regional escorts and yak herders, local government reported. This concludes one of the biggest search-and-rescue operations ever undertaken in the region.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Completed

Several hundred of explorers were left stranded in thick snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually fierce snowstorm dumped heavy snowfall across the territory.

Snow continued to fall throughout 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 expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other crew members were evacuated, according to authoritative announcements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Describe Severe Conditions

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

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

Climbing Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also thwarted the goals of mountaineers guided by a US-based expedition outfit to ascend 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 western adventurers a long time ago. In modern times, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor draw, the area has brought in an growing number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers explored the Everest region last year, establishing a new record.

Area Remains Off-Limits

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

Wider Impact

The significant snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of trekkers in other parts of western China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual lost their life, due to a blend of hypothermia and high-altitude illness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a busy season for the area, with usually clear and pleasant weather, but one member of an 18-person trekking group that made it back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “atypical.”