Dangerous conditions hinder search teams after deadly avalanche near California’s Lake Tahoe

Treacherous weather conditions hindered search efforts for a group of skiers who went missing in a deadly avalanche near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday. Rescue teams found eight skiers dead by midday Wednesday, authorities said. The ninth skier remained missing. 

Crews planned to continue their search for that final individual. After battling winds of up to 40 miles per hour, they ramped up their efforts Wednesday as conditions eased.

“It took us several hours to even get resources deployed,” Capt. Russell Greene with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office told CBS News.

Blizzard-like conditions with blinding snow have pummeled the region for two days. In nearby Truckee, 30 inches of snow fell in just 24 hours — shutting down parts of the interstate in both directions and leaving cars and trucks stranded.

Greene said the area where the skiers are is “tough to access” and warned “the more people that we have up there, the higher chance of another incident happening.”

The skiers were part of a group of 15 skiers and guides on a trip in the Castle Peak area, which is known for deep snow and rugged terrain with no trails and no ski patrol. 

Six of the skiers were rescued and sustained “varying injuries,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Two of the six were hospitalized for treatment.

According to the sheriff’s office, the Sierra Avalanche Center previously issued an avalanche warning stating, “High avalanche danger exists in the backcountry. Large avalanches are expected to occur Tuesday, Tuesday night, and into at least early Wednesday morning across backcountry terrain. High avalanche danger might continue through the day on Wednesday.”

In an updated warning issued Wednesday morning, the center said “large avalanches are expected across backcountry terrain” and “high avalanche danger” could continue through Thursday.