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Search parties have safely led all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to security, including hundreds of regional escorts and livestock handlers, local government reported. This concludes one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the area.

Large-Scale Rescue Operation Completed

Several hundred of trekkers were left stranded in thick snow over the weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly fierce blizzard unleashed substantial snowfall across the region.

Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday in the valley, which is located at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had led approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Previous accounts had indicated that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 local guides, animal handlers, and other support staff were rescued, according to government statements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Describe Severe Situations

One from China traveler described how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, obliging them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to move to lower ground on Sunday as the weather worsened.

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

Climbing Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the plans of mountaineers guided by a United States mountaineering company to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by international adventurers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant visitor attraction, the area has brought in an growing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a new record.

Area Still Closed

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

Broader Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also influenced many of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler succumbed, due to a mix of low body temperature and acute mountain sickness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with usually sunny and mild weather, but one member of an 18-person trekking group that got back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”