BEIJING: Rescuers successfully guided all remaining trekkers near the east face of Everest in Tibet to safety on Tuesday.
This operation concluded one of the largest search-and-rescue missions ever conducted in the remote Himalayan region.
Hundreds of hikers became stranded in deep snow over the weekend within the isolated Karma valley.
An unusually powerful blizzard had dumped exceptionally heavy snowfall across the area.
Snow continued to fall throughout Saturday within the valley, which sits at an average altitude of 4,200 metres.
Rescuers had already managed to guide approximately 350 hikers to safety by Sunday.
An earlier report indicated that the remaining 200 or so hikers were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.
Xinhua news agency reported that a total of 580 trekkers were successfully evacuated.
More than 300 local guides, yak herders, and other support staff were also brought to safety.
The severe snowstorm also disrupted climbing plans for a team guided by U.S.-based Madison Mountaineering.
Their expedition to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-metre peak on the China-Nepal border, was thwarted.
Western travellers first explored the Karma valley a full century ago.
Recent development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism hub has attracted growing visitor numbers.
A record-breaking 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region just last year.
The Everest region remains temporarily closed to the public according to the latest reports.
This closure includes access to the Karma and Rongshar valleys as well as Cho Oyu.
The weekend’s heavy snowfall also impacted hundreds of hikers in other parts of western China.
Areas affected included the provinces of Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu.
Tragically, at least one hiker died from a combination of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness. – Reuters
