🔗 Share this article

Emergency crews have safely led all of the last trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to security, along with scores of local guides and yak herders, local government stated. This wraps up one of the biggest rescue and recovery efforts ever conducted in the zone.

Large-Scale Evacuation Operation Completed

Numerous of explorers were left stranded in deep snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful blizzard deposited substantial snowfall across the region.

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

Earlier reports had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were projected to reach safety by Tuesday.

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

Those Rescued Recount Extreme Conditions

One from China traveler shared how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They decided to go down on Sunday as the weather became more severe.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we realized the snow was heavy in the valley, too; villagers, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Plans Thwarted

The blizzard also thwarted the objectives of climbers escorted by a American mountaineering company to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by international explorers a century ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major visitor attraction, the area has attracted an rising number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers explored the Everest region last year, setting a all-time high.

Region Remains Off-Limits

The Everest region continues to be for the time being inaccessible to the public, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected many of trekkers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one person died, due to a combination of low body temperature and altitude sickness.

Unusual Conditions

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