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Rescue teams have escorted all of the last adventurers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to security, along with scores of regional escorts and animal tenders, authorities reported. This marks the end one of the most extensive rescue and recovery missions ever conducted in the region.

Massive Evacuation Operation Completed

Numerous of explorers were left stranded in deep snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually fierce blizzard deposited substantial snowfall across the area.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had guided approximately 350 hikers to safety.

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

In total, 580 mountaineers, in addition to more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other support staff were rescued, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday night.

Survivors Describe Severe Conditions

One from China hiker recalled how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we realized the snow was heavy in the valley, too; local residents, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Expedition Plans Disrupted

The snowstorm also thwarted the objectives of mountaineers guided by a American expedition outfit to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first visited by western explorers a century ago. In the past few years, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism draw, the area has brought in an growing number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers visited the Everest region last year, setting a new record.

Region Still Off-Limits

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

Wider Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected many of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one traveler succumbed, due to a blend of low body temperature and altitude sickness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a peak season for the area, with typically fine and mild weather, but one participant of an 18-person hiking party that returned safely to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “not normal.”