All Mountaineers Currently Secure After Multiple Days Caught in Powerful Snowstorm

Emergency crews have safely led all of the last trekkers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to security, including numerous of local guides and animal tenders, officials reported. This marks the end one of the most extensive search-and-rescue missions ever seen in the zone.

Massive Evacuation Operation Concluded

Several hundred of hikers were became trapped in deep snow over the past few days in the remote Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful blizzard unleashed significant snowfall across the territory.

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

Initial updates had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 hikers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, livestock herders, and other support staff were evacuated, according to official reports released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Situations

One from China hiker recalled how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

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

Expedition Plans Disrupted

The snowstorm also thwarted the goals of alpinists guided by a US-based climbing outfit to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by foreign adventurers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor draw, the area has drawn an rising number of tourists. More than 540,000 visitors explored the Everest region last year, setting a all-time high.

Area Still Off-Limits

The Everest region remains temporarily closed to the public, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

The intense snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one traveler succumbed, due to a mix of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a busy season for the area, with usually clear and mild weather, but one trekker of an 18-person trekking group that got back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”