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 backcountry 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 now 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 difficult conditions and the risk of further avalanches had hampered rescue efforts, with the operation still ongoing.
The group of 15 backcountry 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.
Much of California’s Central Sierra Nevada region has been covered in heavy snow. Pic: AP
Two of them were unable to walk because of their injuries and were taken to hospital, Ms Moon said.
One person’s condition had been stabilised and released on Tuesday night, while another person remained in hospital.
The survivors include five women and one man, authorities said.
Ms Moon 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.
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, coupled with gale-force winds produced the dangerous conditions.
The area near Donner Summit has one of the highest snowfalls in the Western Hemisphere, with an average of nearly 35 feet (10 meters) 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.
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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