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Emergency crews have escorted all of the remaining adventurers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, along with numerous of regional escorts and yak herders, local government reported. This concludes one of the most extensive search-and-rescue efforts ever seen in the region.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Concluded

Numerous of hikers were left stranded in deep snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually fierce winter blast deposited substantial snowfall across the territory.

Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which rests 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 remaining roughly 200 hikers were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, along with more than 300 local guides, animal handlers, and other assistants were rescued, according to official reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Situations

One Chinese traveler shared how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to move to lower ground on Sunday as the situation became more severe.

“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we learned the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Schedules Disrupted

The severe weather also disrupted the plans of alpinists guided by a American climbing outfit to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by international adventurers a long time ago. In modern times, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel attraction, the area has attracted an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a all-time high.

Region Still Off-Limits

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

Broader Impact

The significant snowfall over the weekend also affected hundreds of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual lost their life, due to a mix of low body temperature and high-altitude illness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a busy season for the area, with usually sunny and mild weather, but one participant of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “not normal.”