All Hikers Now Out of Danger Following Multiple Days Stranded in Powerful Blizzard

Emergency crews have escorted all of the remaining adventurers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to a secure location, along with numerous of regional escorts and animal tenders, local government reported. This marks the end one of the biggest rescue and recovery efforts ever conducted in the region.

Massive Evacuation Operation Completed

Numerous of hikers were became trapped in deep snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unusually fierce blizzard dumped heavy 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, rescue personnel had guided approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Initial updates had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, livestock herders, and other crew members were rescued, according to authoritative announcements released on Tuesday evening.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Situations

One from China hiker recalled how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They opted to go down 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 heavy in the valley, too; local residents, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Schedules Disrupted

The severe weather also hindered the plans of climbers led by a US-based mountaineering company to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first discovered by international adventurers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel attraction, the area has attracted an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a new record.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region is still for the time being closed to the general public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

The intense snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of hikers in other parts of western China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a mix of hypothermia and high-altitude illness.

Unusual Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with typically clear and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person trekking group that returned safely to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”