Tragedy as eight skiers found dead after California avalanche | World | News

Eight skiers have sadly been found dead, and one is still missing, following a horror avalanche in the northern California mountains, authorities have said.

The avalanche hit the Castle Peak area of Truckee in California about 10 miles (16km) north of Lake Tahoe, at around 11.30am local time on Tuesday. The weather phenomenon swept over a group of backcountry skiers, and six people were rescued after becoming trapped. Authorities continued searching for nine missing individuals on Wednesday morning local time, and have now confirmed eight deaths with one person still unaccounted for.

Nevada County sheriff Shannan Moon said: “Eight of the additional nine skiers have been located deceased. We are still looking for one of the members at this time.”

Ms Moon said the difficult conditions and the risk of further avalanches had hampered rescue efforts, with the operation still ongoing.

The heartbreaking incident comes after a powerful storm hit California this week, bringing heavy snow, strong winds, and severe thunderstorms to the mountain regions.

The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for the Central Sierra Nevada beginning at 5am on Tuesday, with significant slides expected through Wednesday.

According to Ms Moon, two of the individuals were unable to walk due to their injuries and were taken to hospital.

One person’s condition was stabilised and they were discharged on Tuesday night, while another remains in hospital.

According to authorities, the survivors include five women and one man. Ms Moon added that the tour was initially thought to include 16 people, but the number was later revised to 15 after it was confirmed that one person had withdrawn at the last minute.”