A 911 call had reported the avalanche had buried 15 skiers – six of the group have since been found alive
Eight skiers have been killed in California in the deadliest US avalanche in over 40 years.
One skier is still missing following the deadly avalanche took place near Lake Tahoe today (Wednesday). The skiers’ families have been told that the mission is now a recovery one rather then rescue, Nevada County Sheriff confirmed at a news conference today.
Search and rescue crews rushed to Castle Peak of California’s Sierra Nevada where they began to search in horrendous conditions. Rescue efforts have been hampered by the heavy snow and threat of further collapses, reported the Mirror.
A 911 call had reported the avalanche had buried 15 skiers – six of the group have since been found alive. The area near Donner Summit is one of the snowiest places in the Western Hemisphere and until just a few years ago was closed to the public.
Ashley Quadros, of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office confirmed two of the rescued skiers have been taken to a hospital for treatment. The Sierra Avalanche Center warned that the risk of avalanche remains high and warned people to stay away from the area.
The group had been on the trail as a huge winter storm hit the West Coast. The Truckee Donner Land Trust highlighted that the area can have nearly 10m (35ft) of snow a year.
Blackbird Mountain Guides, the group leading the expedition, and the skiers’ emergency beacons alerted the authorities to the emergency, Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said. Fifteen backcountry skiers had been on the trip, not 16 as initially believed.
The skiers were on the last day of a backcountry skiing trip where they had spent two nights in the huts, said Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center.
“Our thoughts are with the missing individuals, their families, and first responders in the field,” Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement.
The group, including four guides, were returning to the trailhead after they spent two nights in the huts. The company said it is helping authorities in the search for the skiers.
Donner Summit, where the tragedy occurred, is known for the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847. This avalanche could be the biggest collapse since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier, in Washington state.
Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the US, according to figures from the National Avalanche Center.
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source.