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Search parties have safely led all of the last trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to a secure location, along with scores of local guides and animal tenders, local government announced. This wraps up one of the most extensive rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the region.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Completed

Hundreds of explorers were became trapped in thick snow over the weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense snowstorm deposited significant 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 led approximately 350 hikers to security.

Initial updates had indicated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were anticipated to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, along with more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other support staff were brought out, according to government reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Severe Conditions

One from China traveler described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the situation worsened.

“On the way, we encountered 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, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Expedition Plans Thwarted

The snowstorm also thwarted the objectives of alpinists guided by a American expedition firm to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by foreign adventurers a century ago. In recent years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant tourism attraction, the area has brought in an rising number of tourists. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number.

Region Remains Off-Limits

The Everest region continues to be for the time being off-limits to the public, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also impacted hundreds of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler died, due to a blend of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

Unusual Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with usually clear and moderate weather, but one member of an 18-person expedition team that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”