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Emergency crews have escorted all of the last adventurers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to safety, along with hundreds of regional escorts and livestock handlers, authorities reported. This concludes one of the biggest rescue and recovery efforts ever seen in the region.

Massive Rescue Effort Concluded

Hundreds of hikers were found themselves stuck in heavy snow over the past few days in the remote Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense blizzard dumped substantial snowfall across the area.

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

Previous accounts had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 hikers were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other crew members were brought out, according to authoritative announcements released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Conditions

One Chinese hiker described how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They chose to move to lower ground on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we found out the snow was deep in the valley, too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Plans Disrupted

The blizzard also hindered the goals of climbers guided by a US-based expedition company to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by western adventurers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant visitor destination, the area has drawn an increasing number of travelers. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, setting a new record.

Area Still Off-Limits

The Everest region continues to be currently off-limits to the visitors, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also impacted hundreds of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a combination of low body temperature and high-altitude illness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a high season for the area, with typically clear and moderate weather, but one participant of an 18-person expedition team that made it back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “unusual.”