🔗 Share this article All Trekkers Now Safe After Days Trapped in Intense Winter Storm Rescue teams have escorted all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to security, along with scores of native guides and livestock handlers, officials announced. This marks the end one of the biggest rescue and recovery missions ever seen in the region. Massive Rescue Effort Completed Several hundred of trekkers were left stranded in thick snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an exceptionally powerful blizzard unleashed heavy snowfall across the territory. Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had guided approximately 350 hikers to safety. Earlier reports had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were projected to reach safety by Tuesday. In total, 580 hikers, along with more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other support staff were rescued, according to government reports released on Tuesday evening. Those Rescued Recount Severe Conditions One Chinese traveler described how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, obliging them to remove it every 90 minutes. They opted to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated. “On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was deep in the valley, too; local residents, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.” Climbing Schedules Thwarted The snowstorm also thwarted the objectives of alpinists escorted by a American mountaineering company to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and Nepal. Visitor Increase in the Region Karma valley was first discovered by international travelers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism destination, the area has drawn an increasing number of tourists. More than 540,000 visitors traveled to the Everest region last year, establishing a unprecedented number. Area Still Off-Limits The Everest region remains currently off-limits to the general public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Broader Effect The significant snowfall over the weekend also impacted hundreds of travelers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Sadly, at least one person died, due to a combination of low body temperature and altitude sickness. Unusual Weather October is typically a peak season for the area, with typically fine and mild weather, but one participant of an 18-person trekking group that returned safely to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “not normal.”