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Search parties have escorted all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to security, along with numerous of regional escorts and animal tenders, local government reported. This wraps up one of the most extensive search-and-rescue operations ever conducted in the region.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of trekkers were left stranded in heavy snow over the weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an unusually fierce snowstorm deposited significant snowfall across the area.

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

Initial updates had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 guides, yak herders, and other support staff were brought out, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Describe Harsh Situations

One from China hiker described how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, obliging them to clear it every 90 minutes. They opted to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

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

Climbing Plans Thwarted

The blizzard also thwarted the plans of climbers escorted by a United States mountaineering outfit to summit 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.

Visitor Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by foreign travelers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism destination, the area has drawn an growing number of visitors. More than 540,000 visitors explored the Everest region last year, establishing a unprecedented number.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region continues to be for the time being off-limits to the general public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also impacted numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one individual died, due to a mix of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

Atypical Weather

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