🔗 Share this article All Mountaineers Now Safe Following Multiple Days Caught in Severe Snowstorm Rescue teams have safely led all of the last trekkers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to a secure location, along with numerous of local guides and animal tenders, officials stated. This wraps up one of the largest rescue and recovery missions ever conducted in the region. Large-Scale Rescue Effort Completed Numerous of trekkers were became trapped in heavy snow over the weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unusually intense snowstorm dumped heavy snowfall across the region. Snow kept coming down all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had led approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone. Previous accounts had indicated that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were expected to reach safety by Tuesday. In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, yak herders, and other crew members were evacuated, according to official announcements released on Tuesday night. Those Rescued Recount Extreme Conditions One Chinese trekker shared 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 chose to move to lower ground 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 found out the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.” Climbing Schedules Disrupted The severe weather also disrupted the goals of mountaineers led by a United States expedition company to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between the People's Republic of China and Nepal. Tourism Growth in the Area Karma valley was first visited by international adventurers a hundred years ago. In recent years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major visitor attraction, the area has brought in an rising number of tourists. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, setting a all-time high. Area Still Closed The Everest region remains currently closed to the visitors, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Wider Impact The significant snowfall over the weekend also impacted numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example 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 moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person trekking group that returned safely to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “not normal.”