🔗 Share this article All Hikers Currently Safe After Days Stranded in Severe Winter Storm Rescue teams have escorted all of the last hikers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to safety, along with scores of local guides and livestock handlers, authorities reported. This wraps up one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever conducted in the zone. Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Completed Hundreds of trekkers were left stranded in heavy snow over the weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense blizzard unleashed substantial snowfall across the territory. Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had escorted approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone. Previous accounts had indicated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday. In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 guides, livestock herders, and other support staff were brought out, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday late in the day. Those Rescued Recount Extreme Situations One from China hiker shared how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, compelling them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened. “On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we realized the snow was intense in the valley, too; community members, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.” Expedition Schedules Disrupted The snowstorm also thwarted the objectives of mountaineers led by a American mountaineering firm to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between China and Nepal. Tourism Growth in the Region Karma valley was first explored by western travelers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism draw, the area has brought in an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers visited the Everest region last year, establishing a unprecedented number. Area Still Closed The Everest region continues to be currently inaccessible to the visitors, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Wider Effect The intense snowfall over the weekend also impacted numerous of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a blend of low body temperature and acute mountain sickness. Unusual Conditions October is typically a busy season for the area, with typically sunny and mild weather, but one trekker of an 18-person trekking group that made it back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “atypical.”