Eight backcountry skiers have been found dead and one remains unaccounted for after they were swept away by an avalanche in California.
A group of 15 skiers was on a three-day trek organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides into the wilderness at Frog Lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Lake Tahoe.
The group was trapped by an avalanche on Tuesday, leaving six skiers sheltering in place for hours as crews battled blizzard conditions.
The six survivors had located three dead by themselves before help arrived. Police later located five other bodies. One is still missing Wednesday and presumed dead.
The victims’ identities are being withheld pending family notification, but Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo revealed that one of the skiers killed in the avalanche is the spouse of a search and rescue team member.
The group of six survivors, including one guide and five clients on the trip, were found close together.
The remains of the deceased were also found close together. Officials have not yet determined their cause of death.
Authorities have since told the families the mission has moved from rescue to recovery, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said.
The avalanche hit about 11.30am PST on Tuesday near Perry Peak in the Castle Peak area of Truckee.
Officials revealed that one of the skiers saw the avalanche and yelled ‘avalanche,’ before the massive amount of snow toppled the group.
Chris Feutrier, supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest, said the avalanche that buried the skiers was the length of a football field.
Two different search and rescue teams, of roughly 50 rescuers, were deployed from the north and south side of the mountain.
Crews faced treacherous conditions in their search, including heavy snow and gale force winds that made it impossible to see.
Six of them have been found alive. Of the survivors, one is a man, and five are women, ages 30 to 55, according to Sheriff Moon.
The group was on a three-day trek in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada as a monster winter storm pummeled the West Coast.
Two of those rescued after several hours of searching were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Sheriff Moon said their search efforts are transitioning from ‘rescue to recovery’ as crews battle dangerous weather.
‘Extreme weather conditions is an understatement,’ Moon said.
‘Due to the ongoing challenges of the weather, the avalanche conditions, the effort remains ongoing, as well as our search for the remaining skier.’
Officials said heavy snow and the threat of additional avalanches slowed the rescue effort in the mountains near Castle Peak, northwest of Lake Tahoe.
Tuesday’s deadly avalanche took place just one mile away from an avalanche that occurred in January.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
