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Emergency crews have successfully guided all of the remaining adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to security, including numerous of native guides and yak herders, officials reported. This wraps up one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever seen in the area.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Concluded

Hundreds of trekkers were left stranded in deep snow over the weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful winter blast unleashed significant 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, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

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

In total, 580 trekkers, coupled with more than 300 guides, livestock herders, and other crew members were evacuated, according to official reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Describe Severe Conditions

One Chinese trekker recalled how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They opted to go down on Sunday as the weather worsened.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we found out the snow was heavy in the valley, too; villagers, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Plans Thwarted

The severe weather also hindered the objectives of climbers escorted by a US-based mountaineering firm to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by foreign explorers a long time ago. In recent years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel attraction, the area has drawn an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers visited the Everest region last year, marking a new record.

Area Still Off-Limits

The Everest region remains currently closed to the public, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

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

Atypical Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with normally sunny and moderate weather, but one member of an 18-person expedition team that returned safely to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “unusual.”