Every Single Hikers Currently Safe After Days Caught in Severe Snowstorm
Search parties have safely led all of the last adventurers near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in the Tibet region to security, including scores of regional escorts and animal tenders, local government stated. This concludes one of the most extensive rescue and recovery efforts ever conducted in the zone.
Massive Evacuation Effort Concluded
Numerous of hikers were left stranded in deep snow over the recent weekend in the isolated Karma valley, after an unexpectedly intense blizzard deposited significant snowfall across the region.
Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which rests at an typical altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, emergency teams had guided approximately 350 hikers to security.
Previous accounts had estimated that the last group of roughly 200 hikers were projected to reach safety by Tuesday.
In total, 580 hikers, along with more than 300 local guides, livestock herders, and other support staff were evacuated, according to government announcements released on Tuesday night.
Survivors Describe Severe Situations
One Chinese hiker shared how their group had been “too scared to sleep” on Saturday, as snow quickly piled up around their tents, obliging them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They decided to move to lower ground on Sunday as the situation became more severe.
“On the way, we encountered our guide’s father, who had come looking for him. That’s when we learned the snow was intense in the valley, too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were very anxious.”
Expedition Plans Disrupted
The severe weather also thwarted the goals of climbers guided by a American climbing firm to ascend Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between the People's Republic of China and Nepal.
Tourism Increase in the Area
Karma valley was first explored by foreign adventurers a long time ago. In the past few years, with the growth of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism attraction, the area has drawn an increasing number of travelers. More than 540,000 tourists traveled to the Everest region last year, marking a unprecedented number.
Region Remains Off-Limits
The Everest region remains for the time being closed to the public, encompassing the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.
Wider Effect
The significant snowfall over the weekend also influenced many of trekkers in other parts of western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one traveler died, due to a blend of exposure and high-altitude illness.
Atypical Weather
October is typically a peak season for the area, with normally clear and moderate weather, but one member of an 18-person trekking group that returned safely to Qudang remarked that the weather this year was “not normal.”
