Six backcountry skiers buried in a devastating avalanche near Lake Tahoe have been rescued while nine remain missing, cops confirmed Tuesday.
It took rescue crews several hours to rescue the skiers due to the challenging winter storm conditions that struck around 11:30 a.m. in Castle Peak near Truckee, a Nevada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.
Two of the six skiers rescued have since been taken to the hospital.
Authorities have confirmed the search for the missing skiers remains ongoing.
It was thought that 16 people — 12 skiers and four guides — were hit by the avalanche, but the number was revised to 15. Nine people are still unaccounted for.
The avalanche happened on the final day of a three-day trip when the group – led by Blackbird Mountain Guides – was heading back to the trailhead.
Blackbird Mountain Guides has confirmed it is cooperating with authorities.
“The leadership team at Blackbird Mountain Guides is working in full coordination with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Search and Rescue to support the ongoing rescue operation,” a spokesperson said.
“Blackbird Mountain Guides is in direct contact with the emergency contacts of the affected clients and guides and is providing them with regular updates as verified information becomes available.”
The skiers vanished in whiteout conditions – with forecasters issuing ominous warnings.
California has already been pummeled by heavy snow in the mountains, thunderstorms and high winds.
Around three to four inches of snow were falling per hour in the Sierra Nevada mountains near where the skiers went missing, as reported by NBC News.
“It’s particularly dangerous in the backcountry right now just because we’re at the height of the storm,” Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest lead avalanche forecaster at the Sierra Avalanche Center, said.
Dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snowfall piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds.
Crews found the six skiers but instructed them to shelter in place until they could be reached.
Nevada County Sheriff Russell Greene said officers received word of the avalanche from the emergency beacons the skiers were carrying.
The emergency beacons allow text messages to be sent, Greene told KCRA-TV.
The six survivors created a temporary structure in a treed area, according to Greene.
Police previously warned that it would take some time for the skiers to be rescued amid the risk of triggering more avalanches.
“We have brought in snowcats. We have snowmobiles on standby. We have individuals on skis. We have several different ways that people are attempting to get there,” Greene said.
“It’s just going to be a slow, tedious process.”
Castle Peak is located in the Donner Summit area of Sierra Nevada – and has developed somewhat of an infamous reputation.
During the winter of 1846-47, a group of pioneers turned to cannibalism after becoming trapped, later becoming known as the Donner Party.
With Post wires
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