🔗 Share this article All Trekkers Currently Out of Danger After Multiple Days Trapped in Intense Winter Storm Rescue teams have safely led all of the last trekkers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to security, including numerous of regional escorts and livestock handlers, officials stated. This wraps up one of the most extensive rescue and recovery operations ever seen in the zone. Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Completed Numerous of explorers were found themselves stuck in deep snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense winter blast dumped substantial snowfall across the area. Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had escorted approximately 350 hikers to safety. Initial updates had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were anticipated to reach their destination by Tuesday. In total, 580 hikers, along with more than 300 guides, animal handlers, and other support staff were evacuated, according to official reports released on Tuesday night. Those Rescued Recount Extreme Situations One Chinese trekker described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather deteriorated. “On the way, we met our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we found out the snow was intense in the valley, too; local residents, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.” Climbing Plans Thwarted The snowstorm also disrupted the plans of alpinists escorted by a US-based expedition company to summit 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 Region Karma valley was first discovered by foreign 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 increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers visited the Everest region last year, establishing a new record. Region Still Closed The Everest region continues to be for the time being closed to the visitors, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Broader Impact The significant snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a combination of exposure and high-altitude illness. Atypical Conditions October is typically a busy season for the area, with normally clear and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person expedition team that returned safely to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”