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Rescue teams have successfully guided all of the last hikers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to a secure location, including hundreds of regional escorts and livestock handlers, officials announced. This wraps up one of the biggest search-and-rescue efforts ever conducted in the area.

Large-Scale Evacuation Effort Concluded

Hundreds of explorers were left stranded in heavy snow over the recent weekend in the remote Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense snowstorm unleashed substantial snowfall across the region.

Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which sits at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescuers had guided approximately 350 hikers to security.

Initial updates had estimated that the remaining roughly 200 travelers were projected to reach their destination by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, in addition to more than 300 local guides, animal handlers, and other support staff were rescued, according to official announcements released on Tuesday late in the day.

Those Rescued Recount Harsh Situations

One Chinese trekker shared how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to clear it every 90 minutes. They opted to move to lower ground on Sunday as the situation worsened.

“On the way, we came across our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we learned 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 thwarted the goals of climbers escorted by a American mountaineering company to reach the top of Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between China and Nepal.

Tourism Growth in the Region

Karma valley was first visited by international travelers a century ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor destination, the area has brought in an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers visited the Everest region last year, marking a unprecedented number.

Area Still Off-Limits

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

Wider Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also impacted many of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one person succumbed, due to a mix of low body temperature and altitude sickness.

Unusual Conditions

October is typically a high season for the area, with usually sunny and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person expedition team that got back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”