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Emergency crews have successfully guided all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to safety, including scores of regional escorts and animal tenders, officials stated. This wraps up one of the largest rescue and recovery missions ever conducted in the area.

Large-Scale Rescue Effort Completed

Numerous of explorers were became trapped in deep snow over the past few days in the secluded Karma valley, after an unexpectedly powerful winter blast deposited substantial snowfall across the region.

Snow persisted all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescue personnel had guided approximately 350 hikers to security.

Previous accounts had indicated that the remaining roughly 200 individuals were projected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 hikers, in addition to more than 300 escorts, yak herders, and other assistants were brought out, according to authoritative reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Recount Harsh Conditions

One from China hiker shared how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, forcing them to remove it every 90 minutes. They decided to descend 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 learned the snow was deep in the valley, too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Plans Thwarted

The severe weather also thwarted the plans of alpinists led by a US-based climbing firm to reach the top of 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.

Tourism Increase in the Region

Karma valley was first explored by international adventurers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent travel draw, the area has drawn an increasing number of travelers. More than 540,000 visitors visited the Everest region last year, marking a unprecedented number.

Region Remains Closed

The Everest region remains currently inaccessible to the public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

Wider Effect

The significant snowfall over the weekend also affected many of trekkers in other parts of the western regions of China, such as Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unfortunately, at least one traveler died, due to a blend of hypothermia and altitude sickness.

Atypical Weather

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