Tragic Avalanche Claims Eight Lives Near California’s Lake Tahoe; One Skier Still Missing
A devastating avalanche struck near Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada on Tuesday, engulfing a group of 15 backcountry skiers who were concluding a three-day trek. Out of the group, six were pulled to safety, while eight lost their lives. One skier remains unaccounted for and is feared dead, according to reports from Yahoo News.
Captain Russell Greene of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department noted that both those rescued and the victims were located using emergency beacons and the SOS feature on their iPhones.
“Someone spotted the avalanche and shouted a warning, but it overwhelmed them almost instantly,” Greene explained.
While the bodies of the deceased skiers have been identified, recovery efforts are currently on hold due to the precarious conditions. Rescue teams plan to resume operations once it is safe to do so.
It is still uncertain whether the group disregarded an advisory issued by the Sierra Avalanche Center earlier that day, following a significant winter storm.
“Someone saw the avalanche, yelled avalanche, and it overtook them rather quickly,” Greene said.
Though the deceased skiers’ bodies were located, they could not be recovered due to the unstable conditions. Search teams will resume recovery when the conditions improve.
It remains unclear if the backcountry expedition ignored a warning from the Sierra Avalanche Center on Tuesday morning following a heavy winter storm
“The potential continues for large to very large avalanches occurring in the backcountry today,” Steve Reynaud of the avalanche center said on Wednesday. “HIGH avalanche danger continues with travel in, near, or below avalanche terrain not recommended.”
The avalanche became the deadliest in U.S. history, seconded only by the 1982 incident at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, which killed seven people. The 2021 documentary Buried chronicled the deadly ordeal that left only one survivor, Alpine Meadows employee Anna Conrad, who was trapped for five days inside a collapsed resort building.
