18.02.2026 14:53

Six skiers were rescued, but nine remained missing after an avalanche Tuesday near the town of Truckee, California, authorities said.

Axar.az informs, citing NBC news, the avalanche happened in the area of Castle Peak, a popular backcountry ski destination northwest of Lake Tahoe, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

"Two of the six skiers have been transported to a hospital for treatment. The search is ongoing, pending weather conditions," Ashley Quadros, a Nevada County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, said in a news release at 10:40 p.m. local time.

The sheriff's office initially said the group caught up in the slide included 16 people but clarified Tuesday night that it was a group of 15.

***

Rescue teams combing through the backcountry of California's Lake Tahoe region say they have found the bodies of eight skiers who went missing in an avalanche on Tuesday.

According to BBC, the search for a final missing skier continues but that person is presumed dead, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Officials said one of the deceased was the spouse of someone on one of the search-and-rescue teams, making continued rescue efforts "challenging emotionally".

Fifteen skiers were reported missing on Tuesday after a "football-field" sized avalanche came barrelling down in the Castle Peak area around 11:30 local time (19:30 GMT). Six have been rescued.