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Search parties have safely led all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to safety, along with hundreds of regional escorts and animal tenders, officials announced. This marks the end one of the most extensive rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the area.

Large-Scale Rescue Operation Completed

Numerous of explorers were found themselves stuck in thick snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense snowstorm unleashed substantial snowfall across the region.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which rests at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to security.

Earlier reports had suggested that the remaining roughly 200 hikers were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, yak herders, and other support staff were evacuated, according to government reports released on Tuesday night.

Survivors Describe Harsh Conditions

One Chinese trekker described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided 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 realized the snow was intense in the valley, too; local residents, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the plans of alpinists guided by a US-based climbing company to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by foreign explorers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major visitor draw, the area has drawn an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers explored the Everest region last year, establishing a all-time high.

Region Still Closed

The Everest region is still for the time being closed to the visitors, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The significant snowfall over the weekend also impacted many of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one person succumbed, due to a combination of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

Unusual Weather

October is typically a high season for the area, with typically sunny and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person expedition team that returned safely to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “not normal.”