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Emergency crews have safely led all of the remaining adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to a secure location, along with numerous of native guides and animal tenders, authorities reported. This wraps up one of the biggest rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the zone.

Large-Scale Evacuation Operation Completed

Numerous of hikers were became trapped in thick snow over the recent weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an exceptionally fierce blizzard deposited substantial snowfall across the area.

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

Previous accounts had suggested that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were anticipated to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 hikers, in addition to more than 300 guides, animal handlers, and other support staff were evacuated, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Describe Severe Situations

One Chinese traveler described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the situation deteriorated.

“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we found out the snow was heavy in the valley, too; community members, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Expedition Schedules Disrupted

The severe weather also hindered the goals of mountaineers guided by a American expedition outfit to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by international adventurers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism draw, the area has attracted an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 tourists explored the Everest region last year, marking a new record.

Region Still Off-Limits

The Everest region is still currently off-limits to the visitors, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

The intense snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one traveler succumbed, due to a mix of hypothermia and altitude sickness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a busy season for the area, with typically clear and pleasant weather, but one trekker of an 18-person hiking party that returned safely to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “unusual.”