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Emergency crews have successfully guided all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to safety, including scores of local guides and animal tenders, local government reported. This concludes one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the zone.

Massive Evacuation Operation Concluded

Several hundred of explorers were left stranded in deep snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly fierce winter blast dumped heavy snowfall across the territory.

Snow continued to fall all day 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 security.

Previous accounts had suggested that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, coupled with more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other crew members were evacuated, according to official statements released on Tuesday night.

Survivors Recount Harsh Situations

One Chinese hiker described how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to move to lower ground on Sunday as the weather became more severe.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we learned the snow was heavy in the valley, too; community members, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Expedition Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also thwarted the objectives of alpinists guided by a US-based expedition firm to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by international adventurers a long time ago. In modern times, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant visitor destination, the area has drawn an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 visitors traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a all-time high.

Area Remains Closed

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

Broader Effect

The significant snowfall over the weekend also influenced hundreds of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler died, due to a mix of exposure and altitude sickness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a peak season for the area, with typically sunny and pleasant weather, but one trekker of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”