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Rescue teams have safely led all of the remaining adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, including numerous of regional escorts and yak herders, officials announced. This concludes one of the most extensive rescue and recovery efforts ever seen in the region.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Completed

Numerous of trekkers were found themselves stuck in thick snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful winter blast unleashed heavy snowfall across the area.

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

Initial updates had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were anticipated to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 guides, animal handlers, and other assistants were evacuated, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Conditions

One from China hiker shared how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, compelling them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the situation worsened.

“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we found out the snow was intense in the valley, too; community members, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”

Climbing Schedules Disrupted

The blizzard also disrupted the plans of alpinists guided by a United States climbing company to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by foreign travelers a century ago. In modern times, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism attraction, the area has attracted an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, establishing a new record.

Area Still Off-Limits

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

Wider Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also impacted numerous of trekkers in other parts of western China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a mix of hypothermia and high-altitude illness.

Unusual Weather

October is typically a high season for the area, with typically sunny and mild weather, but one participant of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “atypical.”