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Emergency crews have safely led all of the remaining adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, along with scores of regional escorts and animal tenders, local government announced. This concludes one of the biggest search-and-rescue missions ever undertaken in the area.

Massive Rescue Effort Concluded

Several hundred of hikers were became trapped in deep snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually powerful winter blast dumped substantial snowfall across the territory.

Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescuers had escorted approximately 350 hikers to security.

Earlier reports had indicated that the last group of roughly 200 individuals were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, livestock herders, and other support staff were rescued, according to official announcements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Describe Severe Situations

One from China traveler described how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the conditions became more severe.

“On the way, we encountered 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, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”

Expedition Schedules Disrupted

The blizzard also thwarted the plans of mountaineers led by a United States climbing outfit 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 travelers a century ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant travel attraction, the area has brought in an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, marking a new record.

Region Remains Off-Limits

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

Wider Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also affected many of travelers in other parts of western China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler succumbed, due to a combination of exposure and altitude sickness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with typically clear and moderate weather, but one member of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “unusual.”