🔗 Share this article

Emergency crews have safely led all of the remaining hikers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to a secure location, along with hundreds of regional escorts and livestock handlers, officials reported. This concludes one of the most extensive rescue and recovery efforts ever conducted in the region.

Massive Rescue Effort Completed

Numerous of hikers were found themselves stuck in thick snow over the weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an exceptionally fierce blizzard dumped heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had escorted approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Earlier reports had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were projected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other support staff were brought out, according to government reports released on Tuesday night.

Survivors Recount Severe Conditions

One Chinese traveler 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 opted to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we realized the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Climbing Plans Disrupted

The severe weather also thwarted the objectives of mountaineers led by a United States expedition company to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first discovered by foreign explorers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major visitor draw, the area has attracted an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number.

Area Remains Off-Limits

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

Broader Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected hundreds of travelers in other parts of western China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual lost their life, due to a combination of exposure and high-altitude illness.

Atypical Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally clear and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person trekking group that got back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “unusual.”