🔗 Share this article Every Single Trekkers Now Secure After Days Stranded in Intense Blizzard Rescue teams have escorted all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to a secure location, including scores of local guides and livestock handlers, local government reported. This marks the end one of the biggest search-and-rescue missions ever seen in the region. Massive Evacuation Effort Completed Several hundred of hikers were left stranded in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an exceptionally intense snowstorm deposited significant snowfall across the territory. Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescuers had led approximately 350 hikers to safety. Previous accounts had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday. In total, 580 mountaineers, along with more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other crew members were evacuated, according to official reports released on Tuesday late in the day. Those Rescued Describe Extreme Conditions One Chinese traveler shared how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated 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 ventured for him. That’s when we realized the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.” Expedition Plans Thwarted The snowstorm also thwarted the goals of alpinists 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 the People's Republic of China and Nepal. Visitor Growth in the Region Karma valley was first discovered by international adventurers a long time ago. In recent years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant visitor destination, the area has brought in an rising number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers traveled to the Everest region last year, establishing a new record. Region Still Off-Limits The Everest region continues to be currently off-limits to the visitors, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Wider Effect The intense snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of hikers in other parts of western China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual succumbed, due to a blend of low body temperature and altitude sickness. Atypical Weather October is typically a peak season for the area, with usually clear and pleasant weather, but one trekker of an 18-person trekking group that got back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “unusual.”