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Rescue teams have successfully guided all of the remaining hikers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to security, along with hundreds of native guides and animal tenders, officials announced. This wraps up one of the biggest rescue and recovery missions ever undertaken in the region.

Large-Scale Rescue Operation Completed

Hundreds of explorers were became trapped in thick snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an exceptionally intense winter blast dumped heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which sits at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had guided approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Previous accounts had indicated that the last group of roughly 200 individuals 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 rescued, according to government announcements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Harsh Situations

One Chinese traveler shared how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, forcing them to remove 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 ventured for him. That’s when we learned the snow was intense in the valley, too; community members, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”

Expedition Plans Thwarted

The snowstorm also thwarted the goals of climbers guided by a US-based expedition 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 the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by western travelers a long time ago. In recent years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor attraction, the area has drawn an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region is still currently closed to the general public, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected hundreds of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one person died, due to a mix of low body temperature and altitude sickness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a busy season for the area, with typically fine and pleasant weather, but one member of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”