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Search parties have escorted all of the remaining trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to safety, along with scores of local guides and livestock handlers, officials stated. This marks the end one of the biggest search-and-rescue missions ever seen in the region.

Massive Evacuation Operation Concluded

Numerous of hikers were became trapped in deep snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually fierce blizzard deposited heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow continued to fall all day 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 estimated that the last group of roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 local guides, animal handlers, and other crew members were brought out, according to official statements released on Tuesday evening.

Those Rescued Describe Severe Conditions

One from China trekker described how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, forcing them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the situation worsened.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had set out 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 very anxious.”

Expedition Schedules Disrupted

The severe weather also thwarted the objectives of mountaineers led by a US-based expedition firm to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first discovered by foreign travelers a century ago. In modern times, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism draw, the area has brought in an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers explored the Everest region last year, marking a all-time high.

Region Still Off-Limits

The Everest region continues to be for the time being inaccessible to the visitors, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also influenced hundreds of trekkers in other parts of western China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a blend of hypothermia and altitude sickness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a high season for the area, with typically clear and moderate weather, but one participant of an 18-person trekking group that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”