🔗 Share this article Every Single Mountaineers Now Out of Danger After Multiple Days Trapped in Powerful Winter Storm Search parties have successfully guided all of the remaining adventurers near the eastern slopes of Everest in the Tibet region to a secure location, including hundreds of local guides and animal tenders, authorities stated. This marks the end one of the biggest rescue and recovery missions ever conducted in the area. Large-Scale Rescue Operation Completed Several hundred of trekkers were found themselves stuck in deep snow over the recent weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly fierce snowstorm deposited heavy snowfall across the area. Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had guided approximately 350 hikers to a safe zone. Initial updates had estimated that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were anticipated to reach their destination by Tuesday. In total, 580 trekkers, along with more than 300 guides, livestock herders, and other crew members were evacuated, according to authoritative announcements released on Tuesday evening. Those Rescued Recount Extreme Situations One from China traveler shared how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow rapidly accumulated around their tents, obliging them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to move to lower ground on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated. “On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we found out the snow was deep in the valley, too; local residents, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.” Climbing Plans Disrupted The blizzard also thwarted the objectives of alpinists guided by a US-based mountaineering outfit to reach the top of 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. Tourism Increase in the Region Karma valley was first explored by western travelers a long time ago. In modern times, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism destination, the area has attracted an rising number of visitors. More than 540,000 sightseers explored the Everest region last year, setting a unprecedented number. Area Still Off-Limits The Everest region remains temporarily closed to the public, covering the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu. Wider Effect The significant snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of trekkers in other parts of the western regions of China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler lost their life, due to a combination of low body temperature and acute mountain sickness. Atypical Weather October is typically a high season for the area, with normally clear and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “unusual.”