Remaining Stranded Hikers Rescued Near Everest

Tourism in the vast, high-altitude area in China's western edge has increased in recent years, and outdoor enthusiasts flocked to its famous trekking spots for this year's eight-day national holiday that concluded yesterday.

But an intense blizzard over the weekend buried camps and complicated travel, sparking a large-scale rescue operation involving firefighters, horses, yaks and drones.

In total, "580 hikers and more than 300 personnel, including local guides and yak herders, have arrived safely" in a nearby township, state news agency Xinhua reported on Oct. 7 evening.

"Local staff are organizing their return journeys in an orderly manner," the report said, adding that "about a dozen" additional hikers had been brought by rescue teams to a meeting point with supplies.

Their return to safety brings an end to rescue efforts in the mountainous Chinese region, though the unexpected extreme conditions have wrought further damage in nearby areas. 

In the mountains of neighboring Qinghai province, one hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness, state media reported on Oct. 6.