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Search parties have safely led all of the last trekkers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to safety, along with hundreds of regional escorts and livestock handlers, local government announced. This marks the end one of the largest rescue and recovery efforts ever conducted in the zone.

Massive Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of hikers were became trapped in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unusually fierce blizzard dumped significant snowfall across the region.

Snow kept coming down throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to security.

Previous accounts had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 travelers were projected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 trekkers, in addition to more than 300 guides, livestock herders, and other crew members were rescued, according to government statements released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Situations

One from China trekker recalled how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the situation deteriorated.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we realized the snow was heavy in the valley, too; community members, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”

Expedition Schedules Disrupted

The blizzard also disrupted the goals of mountaineers guided by a United States mountaineering firm to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the boundary between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first discovered by western travelers a hundred years ago. In recent years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel destination, the area has attracted an growing number of visitors. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, establishing a all-time high.

Area Remains Closed

The Everest region continues to be for the time being off-limits to the visitors, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one person lost their life, due to a combination of low body temperature and acute mountain sickness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a busy season for the area, with typically clear and mild weather, but one member of an 18-person hiking party that got back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “unusual.”