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Rescue teams have successfully guided all of the remaining hikers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, including hundreds of regional escorts and yak herders, local government announced. This wraps up one of the most extensive search-and-rescue efforts ever conducted in the region.

Massive Evacuation Effort Completed

Several hundred of trekkers were left stranded in thick snow over the past few days in the remote Karma valley, after an exceptionally intense snowstorm dumped heavy snowfall across the region.

Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which is located at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had led approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Initial updates had estimated that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, along with more than 300 escorts, yak herders, and other support staff were evacuated, according to government statements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Harsh Conditions

One from China trekker described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, compelling them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to move to lower ground on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

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

Climbing Plans Disrupted

The severe weather also thwarted the goals of climbers guided by a US-based mountaineering outfit to ascend 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.

Tourism Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by foreign explorers a century ago. In modern times, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major travel draw, the area has brought in an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, establishing a unprecedented number.

Region Remains Closed

The Everest region remains temporarily off-limits to the general public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also influenced many of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a blend of exposure and altitude sickness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but one trekker of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”