Eight skiers have been confirmed dead and one remains missing after a powerful avalanche swept through a backcountry skiing group near Truckee, California, authorities said Wednesday(February 18), as treacherous weather and the threat of additional slides continue to hinder search and recovery efforts in the northern Sierra Nevada. Authorities said the survivors include five women and one man.

A powerful storm hit California’s mountains this week, prompting the Sierra Avalanche Center to issue an avalanche warning for the Central Sierra Nevada from 5 am Tuesday through Wednesday.

Around 11:30 am Tuesday, an avalanche hit the Castle Peak area near Truckee, California, roughly 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe. According to Sky News website, the slide swept over a group of skiers, with six rescued after becoming trapped beneath the snow.



By Wednesday morning, authorities were searching for nine missing skiers; eight have since been confirmed dead, with one still missing.

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

The eight victims were found with active beacons, and authorities said their recovery will proceed when conditions improve, noting that one was married to a member of the search-and-rescue team.

According to Blackbird Mountain Guides, the 15 skiers were outside resort boundaries and returning from a three-day excursion when the avalanche hit.

The six rescued skiers, one guide, and five clients sheltered under tarpaulin sheets and contacted authorities using a radio beacon and text messages.

Crews reached within two miles by snowcat before skiing the remaining distance to prevent triggering another slide.

According to SkyNews website, rapid snow buildup in unstable layers, combined with gale-force winds, created hazardous conditions in the region near Donner Summit, one of the snowiest areas in the Western Hemisphere, averaging nearly 35 feet (10 meters) annually, a site named after the ill-fated Donner Party, pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after becoming trapped during the winter of 1846 to 1847.