🔗 Share this article Every Single Hikers Now Safe Following Days Caught in Severe Snowstorm Search parties have successfully guided all of the last trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to a secure location, including numerous of local guides and animal tenders, local government reported. This concludes one of the most extensive rescue and recovery operations ever undertaken in the region. Large-Scale Evacuation Operation Concluded Numerous of explorers were left stranded in deep snow over the weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an exceptionally fierce winter blast deposited heavy snowfall across the area. Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which sits at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescuers had guided approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone. Earlier reports had estimated that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were anticipated to reach their destination by Tuesday. In total, 580 trekkers, along with more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other crew members were brought out, according to official announcements released on Tuesday night. Those Rescued Describe Extreme Situations One from China hiker recalled how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the situation deteriorated. “On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was heavy in the valley, too; community members, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.” Expedition Schedules Thwarted The snowstorm also hindered the plans of climbers escorted by a United States climbing outfit to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between China and the nation of Nepal. Tourism Increase in the Region Karma valley was first discovered by western explorers a century ago. In recent years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel destination, the area has attracted an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number. Region Still Off-Limits The Everest region is still currently inaccessible to the visitors, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Broader Impact The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of hikers in other parts of western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one person lost their life, due to a combination of low body temperature and altitude sickness. Unusual Conditions October is typically a busy season for the area, with usually fine and mild weather, but one member of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”