🔗 Share this article

Rescue teams have safely led all of the remaining trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, including scores of native guides and livestock handlers, officials stated. This concludes one of the largest rescue and recovery operations ever seen in the area.

Massive Evacuation Effort Completed

Several hundred of explorers were found themselves stuck in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an exceptionally fierce winter blast unleashed substantial snowfall across the region.

Snow kept coming down all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had guided approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

Earlier reports had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other crew members were brought out, according to authoritative statements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Recount Extreme Situations

One from China traveler described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, compelling them to remove it every 90 minutes. They opted to move to lower ground on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

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

Climbing Schedules Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the goals of climbers escorted by a American mountaineering firm to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first discovered by western adventurers a century ago. In recent years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel attraction, the area has attracted an rising number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a unprecedented number.

Region Still Closed

The Everest region continues to be temporarily inaccessible to the public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also influenced many of trekkers in other parts of western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual succumbed, due to a blend of hypothermia and high-altitude illness.

Atypical Conditions

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