🔗 Share this article

Search parties have escorted all of the remaining trekkers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, along with numerous of native guides and livestock handlers, authorities announced. This marks the end one of the most extensive search-and-rescue operations ever seen in the zone.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Completed

Several hundred of hikers were found themselves stuck in thick snow over the weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful snowstorm unleashed heavy snowfall across the territory.

Snow persisted throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had escorted approximately 350 hikers to security.

Previous accounts had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were anticipated to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, livestock herders, and other crew members were brought out, according to authoritative announcements released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Describe Harsh Conditions

One Chinese trekker recalled how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, obliging them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

“On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we learned the snow was heavy in the valley, too; villagers, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”

Climbing Plans Thwarted

The severe weather also disrupted the goals of alpinists led by a US-based mountaineering outfit to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first discovered by foreign travelers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a major travel draw, the area has attracted an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a new record.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region is still for the time being off-limits to the general public, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

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

Atypical Weather

October is typically a busy season for the area, with normally sunny and mild weather, but one member of an 18-person expedition team that made it back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “atypical.”