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Rescue teams have escorted all of the last hikers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to security, including numerous of native guides and animal tenders, officials reported. This marks the end one of the most extensive rescue and recovery efforts ever seen in the region.

Massive Rescue Effort Completed

Hundreds of explorers were became trapped in deep snow over the weekend in the secluded Karma valley, after an unusually powerful snowstorm unleashed substantial snowfall across the region.

Snow kept coming down all day Saturday in the valley, which is located at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had led approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Previous accounts had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were projected to reach a secure area by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, livestock herders, and other support staff were evacuated, according to government reports released on Tuesday night.

Those Rescued Describe Extreme Situations

One from China hiker shared how their group had been “too scared 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 weather deteriorated.

“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had ventured for him. That’s when we found out the snow was heavy in the valley, too; local residents, incapable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried.”

Climbing Plans Disrupted

The severe weather also thwarted the plans of climbers guided by a American climbing firm 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 Area

Karma valley was first explored by western explorers a century ago. In the past few years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent visitor attraction, the area has brought in an growing number of travelers. More than 540,000 sightseers traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a unprecedented number.

Area Remains Off-Limits

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

Wider Effect

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected hundreds of travelers in other parts of western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one person succumbed, due to a blend of low body temperature and altitude sickness.

Atypical Conditions

October is typically a peak season for the area, with typically fine and pleasant weather, but one participant of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang commented that the weather this year was “unusual.”