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Emergency crews have escorted all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to a secure location, including hundreds of native guides and animal tenders, officials announced. This marks the end one of the most extensive rescue and recovery operations ever undertaken in the area.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Concluded

Hundreds of explorers were left stranded in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful winter blast deposited heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had led approximately 350 hikers to safety.

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

In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other crew members were evacuated, according to government reports released on Tuesday night.

Survivors Describe Extreme Conditions

One Chinese traveler described how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, obliging them to remove it every 90 minutes. They opted to move to lower ground on Sunday as the situation became more severe.

“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was intense in the valley, too; local residents, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”

Climbing Schedules Thwarted

The blizzard also thwarted the goals of climbers escorted by a United States climbing outfit to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first discovered by western explorers a century ago. In recent years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism attraction, the area has drawn an rising number of visitors. More than 540,000 visitors explored the Everest region last year, setting a new record.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region remains temporarily closed to the general public, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also impacted numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a blend of hypothermia and altitude sickness.

Unusual Conditions

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