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Emergency crews have successfully guided all of the remaining adventurers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, including hundreds of regional escorts and animal tenders, officials stated. This wraps up one of the biggest search-and-rescue missions ever seen in the zone.

Massive Rescue Effort Completed

Numerous of trekkers were found themselves stuck in thick snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful winter blast unleashed significant snowfall across the region.

Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescuers had led approximately 350 hikers to security.

Previous accounts had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

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

Those Rescued Describe Harsh Situations

One from China trekker described how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to move to lower ground on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Plans Thwarted

The severe weather also hindered the plans of alpinists led by a US-based expedition outfit to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by foreign explorers a century ago. In modern times, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major visitor attraction, the area has attracted an increasing number of travelers. More than 540,000 tourists explored the Everest region last year, marking a unprecedented number.

Region Remains Closed

The Everest region is still currently off-limits to the visitors, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual died, due to a blend of low body temperature and high-altitude illness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally sunny and moderate weather, but one participant of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “atypical.”