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Rescue teams have escorted all of the remaining adventurers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to safety, along with scores of regional escorts and livestock handlers, authorities announced. This concludes one of the most extensive search-and-rescue missions ever conducted in the zone.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of hikers were became trapped in thick snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful snowstorm deposited substantial snowfall across the area.

Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had escorted approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Initial updates had indicated that the last group of roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, along with more than 300 local guides, animal handlers, and other crew members were evacuated, according to official statements released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Describe Severe Situations

One from China trekker recalled how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They opted to descend on Sunday as the situation became more severe.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was heavy in the valley, too; local residents, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”

Expedition Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also hindered the plans of climbers guided by a American mountaineering company 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 discovered by western adventurers a century ago. In modern times, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor destination, the area has attracted an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region last year, establishing a unprecedented number.

Region Still Closed

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

Broader Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also affected many of trekkers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one person lost their life, due to a mix of hypothermia and high-altitude illness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a high season for the area, with usually sunny and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person trekking group that returned safely to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”