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Rescue teams have successfully guided all of the remaining trekkers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to safety, including scores of local guides and animal tenders, local government reported. This marks the end one of the biggest search-and-rescue operations ever conducted in the zone.

Massive Evacuation Effort Concluded

Numerous of trekkers were left stranded in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unusually intense snowstorm dumped heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had guided approximately 350 hikers to security.

Initial updates had suggested that the remaining roughly 200 hikers were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, in addition to more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other support staff were rescued, according to authoritative announcements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Describe Severe Situations

One Chinese traveler recalled how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

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

Climbing Plans Disrupted

The blizzard also disrupted the plans of climbers escorted by a American mountaineering company to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by international explorers a hundred years ago. In modern times, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism draw, the area has drawn an increasing number of travelers. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, establishing a unprecedented number.

Region Remains Closed

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

Wider Effect

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

Atypical Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally fine and pleasant weather, but one member of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “unusual.”