Eight skiers found dead after avalanche in California amid 'horrific conditions'

Eight skiers have been found dead, and one is still missing, after an 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 cascade engulfed a group of off-piste skiers, with six people being rescued after they became trapped.

Authorities were still searching for nine missing people on Wednesday morning local time, but have since confirmed eight fatalities and one unaccounted for.

"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."

Ms Moon said the "horrific conditions", and the risk of further avalanches, had hampered rescue efforts.

The eight dead skiers were found with their beacons active, and their bodies will be recovered when conditions improve.

One was married to a member of the search-and-rescue team, authorities said.

The group of 15 skiers - who were outside ski resort boundaries - were returning from a three-day excursion when the avalanche struck, the organising tour company Blackbird Mountain Guides said.

The rescued skiers - including one guide and five clients - had taken refuge in a makeshift shelter made from tarpaulin sheets and communicated with authorities using a radio beacon and text messaging.

The survivors located three others who had died, Ms Moon said.

Two of them were unable to walk because of their injuries, and were taken to hospital, she added.

One person had been stabilised and released on Tuesday night, while another person remained in hospital.

The survivors include five women and one man, authorities said.

Rescuers used a snowcat to get within two miles (3.2km) of the survivors, and skied the remaining distance to avoid causing another avalanche.

Ms Moon said the investigators would look into the decision to proceed with the trip despite the weather forecast.

"We're still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made," she said.

She said it was initially believed that 16 people had been on the tour, but the number was revised to 15 after it was confirmed that one person had pulled out at the last minute.

Avalanche warning issued

California has been hit by a powerful storm this week, bringing heavy snow, high winds and severe thunderstorms to the mountainous region.

The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, starting on Tuesday at 5am local time, with large slides expected into Wednesday.

The rapid accumulation of snow in unstable layers, coupled with gale-force winds, had produced the dangerous conditions.

The area near Donner Summit has one of the highest snowfalls in the Western Hemisphere, with an average of nearly 35ft (10m) of snow a year.

The area is named after the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after becoming trapped in the winter of 1846 to 1847.

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The incident marks the deadliest avalanche in the US since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington.

Each winter, between 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the US, according to the National Avalanche Center.

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