🔗 Share this article

Search parties have safely led all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to safety, along with scores of regional escorts and livestock handlers, local government reported. This marks the end one of the biggest search-and-rescue efforts ever seen in the area.

Large-Scale Rescue Operation Concluded

Hundreds of explorers were became trapped in thick snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly fierce blizzard dumped heavy snowfall across the territory.

Snow kept coming down all day Saturday in the valley, which sits at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Earlier reports had estimated that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 hikers, along with more than 300 guides, animal handlers, and other support staff were rescued, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday evening.

Survivors Describe Severe Conditions

One from China hiker described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They opted to move to lower ground on Sunday as the conditions became more severe.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we realized the snow was intense in the valley, too; community members, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Climbing Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the objectives of mountaineers led by a American mountaineering company to summit 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.

Visitor Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by foreign adventurers a century ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism destination, the area has attracted an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists explored the Everest region last year, setting a all-time high.

Area Still Off-Limits

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

Wider Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also impacted many of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a mix of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

Unusual Weather

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