Rescue crews entered a second day of searching for nine backcountry skiers missing after an avalanche swept through California’s Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe.
The slide struck around 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 in the Castle Peak area near Truckee, as a powerful winter storm battered the region with heavy snow and high winds.
Authorities said the skiers were part of a guided group returning from a three-day trip to remote Frog Lake huts north of Donner Pass.
Six members of the group survived and were rescued Tuesday evening after hours of difficult efforts in dangerous conditions, with two taken to hospitals for treatment.
Officials initially reported that 16 people were involved before revising the total to 15, and later updated the number of missing from 10 to nine.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said 46 emergency responders joined the operation, supported by “Highly skilled rescue ski teams” from nearby resorts.
As conditions remained unstable, some survivors sheltered under tarpaulin sheets while awaiting extraction.
Capt. Russell Greene described the mission as a “slow, tedious process” because of continuing avalanche danger.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said state authorities were co-ordinating an all-hands search-and-rescue effort with local teams.
Additional resources were deployed statewide to assist in locating the missing skiers.
The Sierra Avalanche Center rated the slide a D2.5 on a scale of D1 to D5, indicating a large avalanche capable of burying or seriously injuring people.
The center warned that rapidly accumulating snowfall, weak snowpack layers and gale-force winds had created dangerous conditions, with natural avalanches likely and human-triggered slides very likely.
Up to 30 inches of snow fell in 24 hours near the accident site, prompting closures of Interstate 80 over Donner Pass and Highway 50.
Boreal Mountain Ski Resort closed because of high winds and low visibility.
All winter routes to the Frog Lake huts carry some degree of avalanche hazard, according to local land managers.
Authorities said updates were expected as search operations continued.