Avalanche Near Lake Tahoe Leaves Ten Skiers Missing
LOS ANGELES: Ten skiers were reported missing and another six stranded after an avalanche struck a backcountry slope near Lake Tahoe during heavy snowfall in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on Tuesday, authorities said.
The avalanche swept through the Castle Peak area of Truckee, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, at approximately 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, engulfing a group of 16 skiers, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said the group comprised four ski guides and 12 clients. At least six people survived and remained at the avalanche site awaiting rescue, while the remaining 10 were unaccounted for.
Authorities warned that if all 10 missing skiers are confirmed dead, the incident would rank among the deadliest single-avalanche events in US history. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has recorded six avalanche-related fatalities nationwide so far this season.
According to the center, avalanches have claimed an average of 27 lives each winter in the United States over the past decade.
A winter storm warning was in effect across much of northern California on Tuesday, with heavy snowfall forecast at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada.
The Sierra Avalanche Center had issued an alert before dawn warning of a high avalanche danger in the backcountry ski region, the sheriff’s office said.
Rescue ski teams were deployed to the avalanche zone from Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center, while dozens of emergency personnel responded to the scene.
Officials cautioned that weather conditions remain extremely dangerous across Sierra backcountry slopes, with further avalanche activity expected through Tuesday night and into Wednesday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the incident, and state authorities are coordinating an all-hands search-and-rescue operation with local emergency teams, his office said in a post on X.
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