Everest hikers stranded in ‘deep snow’ finally evacuated from Tibetan valley

Rescuers successfully guided the remaining trekkers, including hundreds of local guides and yak herders, to safety near the east face of Everest in Tibet on Tuesday, concluding one of the largest search-and-rescue operations in the area, Reuters reported.

The operation was triggered after hundreds of hikers were stranded in deep snow over the weekend in the remote Karma valley, following an unusually intense blizzard that brought heavy snowfall to the region.

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The snowstorm continued throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an altitude of 4,200 m (13,800 ft). By Sunday, rescuers had already brought around 350 hikers to safety.

According to an earlier Reuters report, citing a source, the remaining 200 or so hikers were expected to reach safety by Tuesday.

A total of 580 trekkers, along with over 300 guides, yak herders, and support staff, were evacuated, according to official reports from the Xinhua news agency on Tuesday evening.

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The severe snowstorm also disrupted plans for climbers guided by U.S.-based Madison Mountaineering, who were attempting to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter (26,864-foot) peak on the China-Nepal border.

Karma Valley was first explored by Western travellers a century ago. In recent years, with the development of the Everest region in Tibet as a major tourism draw, the area has attracted an increasing number of visitors. More than 540,000 tourists visited the Everest region last year, a new record.

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The Everest region remains temporarily closed to the public, Xinhua reported, including the Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as Cho Oyu.

The heavy snowfall over the weekend also affected hundreds of hikers in other parts of western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu. At least one died, due to a combination of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

(With inputs from Reuters)