🔗 Share this article All Hikers Now Safe Following Multiple Days Caught in Powerful Blizzard Rescue teams have safely led all of the last trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, including numerous of regional escorts and yak herders, local government announced. This marks the end one of the largest search-and-rescue operations ever seen in the area. Massive Rescue Operation Completed Hundreds of trekkers were became trapped in deep snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an exceptionally powerful blizzard unleashed 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 guided approximately 350 hikers to security. Initial updates had indicated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday. In total, 580 mountaineers, along with more than 300 guides, animal handlers, and other assistants were evacuated, according to official announcements released on Tuesday late in the day. Survivors Recount Harsh Situations One Chinese hiker recalled how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather 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 deep in the valley, too; local residents, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.” Expedition Schedules Thwarted The snowstorm also thwarted the goals of mountaineers guided by a US-based mountaineering company to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal. Tourism Increase in the Area Karma valley was first visited by foreign explorers a century ago. In modern times, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism attraction, the area has drawn an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a all-time high. Area Still Closed The Everest region remains currently off-limits to the public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Wider Effect The intense snowfall over the weekend also impacted numerous of travelers in other parts of western China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one person died, due to a combination of low body temperature and acute mountain sickness. Atypical Conditions October is typically a high season for the area, with typically fine and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person trekking group that got back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”