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Search parties have successfully guided all of the last adventurers near the east-facing slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet to safety, along with hundreds of native guides and livestock handlers, authorities reported. This marks the end one of the most extensive rescue and recovery missions ever undertaken in the zone.

Massive Evacuation Effort Completed

Several hundred of explorers were found themselves stuck in heavy snow over the past few days in the isolated Karma valley, after an exceptionally powerful blizzard deposited heavy snowfall across the area.

Snow continued to fall all day Saturday in the valley, which sits at an mean altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). By Sunday, rescuers had led approximately 350 hikers to safety.

Initial updates had suggested that the last group of roughly 200 travelers were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

In total, 580 mountaineers, along with more than 300 guides, yak herders, and other assistants were rescued, according to official reports released on Tuesday late in the day.

Survivors Recount Harsh Conditions

One from China hiker recalled how their group had been “too anxious to sleep” on Saturday, as snow swiftly built up around their tents, forcing them to shovel it every 90 minutes. They opted to move to lower ground 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 heavy in the valley, too; community members, not able to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned.”

Expedition Plans Thwarted

The snowstorm also disrupted the plans of alpinists guided by a American expedition company to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the frontier between the People's Republic of China and the nation of Nepal.

Tourism Increase in the Area

Karma valley was first discovered by western travelers a century ago. In modern times, with the expansion of the Everest region in Tibet as a prominent tourism draw, the area has brought in an rising number of tourists. More than 540,000 sightseers visited the Everest region last year, marking a all-time high.

Area Remains Off-Limits

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

Wider Impact

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected many of hikers in other parts of the western regions of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu. Tragically, at least one person succumbed, due to a combination of hypothermia and high-altitude illness.

Unusual Weather

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