🔗 Share this article

Emergency crews have escorted all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, including hundreds of regional escorts and livestock handlers, officials announced. This concludes one of the most extensive search-and-rescue efforts ever seen in the area.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Concluded

Hundreds of explorers were found themselves stuck in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an exceptionally powerful blizzard dumped significant snowfall across the territory.

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

Initial updates had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were expected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, coupled with more than 300 escorts, animal handlers, and other support staff were evacuated, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Situations

One from China hiker described how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, compelling them to clear it every 90 minutes. They chose to move to lower ground on Sunday as the conditions became more severe.

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

Expedition Plans Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the goals of climbers led by a United States climbing firm to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Area

Karma valley was first discovered by western adventurers a century ago. In recent years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major visitor destination, the area has attracted an growing number of visitors. More than 540,000 sightseers traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a new record.

Area Still Closed

The Everest region is still currently off-limits to the public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Impact

The intense 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 person lost their life, due to a blend of exposure and altitude sickness.

Unusual Conditions

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