Eight dead, one still missing after Tahoe avalanche
Officials in California confirmed Wednesday that eight people are dead and another is missing and presumed dead after a large-scale avalanche near Lake Tahoe, California.
Search-and-rescue crews were able to extract six additional people who were caught in the avalanche Tuesday but not buried.
It was the deadliest avalanche in the United States since a slide killed 11 climbers on Mount Rainier, Washington, in 1981.
Avalanche the size of a football field
A group of four guides and 11 guests was returning from a three-day cross-country ski trip trip to the Frog Lake huts near Castle Peak, an area near Donner Pass, when they were caught in an avalanche. Officials said the avalanche, which was rated as a D2.5. on a scale of 1 to 5, was around the size of a football field.
The group, led by Truckee, California-based Blackbird Mountain Guides, consisted of six men and nine women between the ages of 30 and 55. Search-and-rescue crews were contacted via satellite around 11:30 a.m. local time Tuesday.
A group of six survivors located three people buried in the avalanche before search-and-rescue crews arrived. Rescuers located another five victims when they arrived in the late afternoon. None of the people located were found alive. Officials said due to weather conditions, they have not been able to locate the final person’s body.
Of the six people rescued alive, one was a guide, and five were guests on the trip. Three were not able to walk due to injuries sustained in the slide, and two were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. One of those people has since been released.
Avalanche warning still in effect
Officials said that search-and-rescue teams will continue recovery efforts Wednesday, weather conditions permitting.
An active avalanche warning remains in effect for the Central Sierra avalanche region through Thursday. Officials asked people to stay out of the backcountry while snow continues to fall across the region. Between 3 and 6 1/2 feet of snow have fallen across the Central Sierras since Sunday, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.
This is the second avalanche-related death in the Castle Peak area this year. A snowmobiler was buried after being caught in an avalanche on Jan. 5. While he was rescued by the rest of his group, they were not able to resuscitate him.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
