Every Single Mountaineers Currently Safe Following Multiple Days Caught in Severe Blizzard
Search parties have successfully guided all of the last hikers near the east-facing slopes of Everest in Tibet to safety, including hundreds of regional escorts and yak herders, local government reported. This concludes one of the most extensive rescue and recovery efforts ever conducted in the region.
Large-Scale Evacuation Operation Concluded
Numerous of explorers were found themselves stuck in thick snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense winter blast deposited substantial snowfall across the territory.
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 escorted approximately 350 hikers to safety.
Previous accounts had suggested that the remaining roughly 200 hikers were anticipated to reach a secure area by Tuesday.
In total, 580 mountaineers, along with more than 300 escorts, livestock herders, and other crew members were rescued, according to official announcements released on Tuesday late in the day.
Survivors Recount Harsh Situations
One Chinese traveler described 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 go down on Sunday as the conditions became more severe.
“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had set out for him. That’s when we found out the snow was deep in the valley, too; community members, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”
Climbing Plans Thwarted
The severe weather also disrupted the objectives of mountaineers escorted by a United States expedition firm to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the border between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.
Visitor Growth in the Region
Karma valley was first explored by foreign travelers a hundred years ago. In the past few years, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism attraction, the area has attracted an growing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists explored the Everest region last year, establishing a all-time high.
Area Still Off-Limits
The Everest region is still temporarily inaccessible to the general public, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.
Broader Impact
The significant snowfall over the weekend also affected numerous of trekkers in other parts of western China, for example Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one individual succumbed, due to a blend of low body temperature and high-altitude illness.
Atypical Conditions
October is typically a high season for the area, with usually fine and moderate weather, but one trekker of an 18-person hiking party that made it back to Qudang noted that the weather this year was “atypical.”
