🔗 Share this article

Rescue teams have escorted all of the remaining hikers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, including numerous of regional escorts and yak herders, local government reported. This wraps up one of the largest rescue and recovery missions ever seen in the area.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of trekkers were left stranded in deep snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an unusually fierce snowstorm dumped heavy snowfall across the region.

Snow kept coming down all day Saturday in the valley, which is located at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Previous accounts had estimated that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were projected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 hikers, along with more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other assistants were evacuated, according to government statements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Conditions

One from China hiker shared how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, forcing them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the conditions became more severe.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was heavy in the valley, too; local residents, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Plans Thwarted

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

Visitor Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by international adventurers a century ago. In modern times, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major travel destination, the area has attracted an growing number of tourists. More than 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region last year, setting a new record.

Area Still Off-Limits

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

Wider Impact

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

Unusual Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with typically sunny and pleasant weather, but one trekker of an 18-person expedition team that made it back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “not normal.”