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Search parties have safely led all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, along with scores of local guides and animal tenders, authorities announced. This wraps up one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the zone.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Concluded

Numerous of explorers were found themselves stuck in deep snow over the weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an exceptionally intense winter blast dumped substantial snowfall across the area.

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

Previous accounts had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 hikers were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, along with more than 300 escorts, yak herders, and other support staff were rescued, according to government announcements released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Recount Severe Situations

One from China hiker recalled how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, forcing them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They opted to go down on Sunday as the situation deteriorated.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we found out the snow was heavy in the valley, too; local residents, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Climbing Plans Disrupted

The snowstorm also disrupted the plans of alpinists escorted by a US-based expedition firm to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by foreign explorers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a major travel draw, the area has brought in an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 visitors traveled to the Everest region last year, establishing a all-time high.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region remains for the time being inaccessible to the visitors, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

The intense snowfall over the weekend also affected hundreds of trekkers in other parts of western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one person succumbed, due to a combination of low body temperature and acute mountain sickness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally fine and mild weather, but one member of an 18-person expedition team that got back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “atypical.”