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Rescue teams have safely led all of the remaining adventurers near the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, along with hundreds of local guides and animal tenders, authorities announced. This marks the end one of the biggest search-and-rescue efforts ever undertaken in the zone.

Massive Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of trekkers were left stranded in heavy snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful blizzard unleashed substantial snowfall across the region.

Snow continued to fall all day 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 safety.

Initial updates had estimated that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were projected to reach safety by Tuesday.

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

Survivors Describe Harsh Conditions

One Chinese trekker described how their group had been “too frightened to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, compelling them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They chose to descend on Sunday as the weather became more severe.

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

Climbing Schedules Disrupted

The blizzard also thwarted the plans of climbers guided by a US-based climbing outfit to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal.

Visitor Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by western adventurers a century ago. In modern times, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a significant tourism draw, the area has attracted an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers visited the Everest region last year, setting a new record.

Region Remains Off-Limits

The Everest region is still for the time being inaccessible to the visitors, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Broader Effect

The intense snowfall over the weekend also influenced numerous of travelers in other parts of western China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one person died, due to a mix of hypothermia and high-altitude illness.

Unusual Weather

October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally sunny and mild weather, but one participant of an 18-person expedition team that made it back to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “atypical.”