🔗 Share this article

Search parties have successfully guided all of the last adventurers near the eastern slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to security, including scores of regional escorts and yak herders, local government reported. This concludes one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts ever seen in the area.

Massive Evacuation Effort Completed

Numerous of trekkers were became trapped in deep snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an exceptionally fierce snowstorm dumped heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday in the valley, which rests at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone.

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

In total, 580 hikers, coupled with more than 300 guides, animal handlers, and other support staff were rescued, according to official statements released on Tuesday evening.

Those Rescued Describe Harsh Situations

One Chinese traveler described how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, obliging them to remove it every 90 minutes. They opted to go down on Sunday as the weather deteriorated.

“On the way, we met 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 very anxious.”

Expedition Plans Disrupted

The snowstorm also disrupted the goals of alpinists guided by a United States expedition outfit to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first explored by western explorers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism draw, the area has attracted an rising number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers explored the Everest region last year, establishing a all-time high.

Region Remains Off-Limits

The Everest region remains temporarily inaccessible to the visitors, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The significant snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler died, due to a combination of low body temperature and altitude sickness.

Unusual Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally fine and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person expedition team that returned safely to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “unusual.”