Bodies of all 9 skiers killed in devastating avalanche recovered by authorities

California search-and-rescue teams person recovered the bodies of each 9 missing skiers killed Tuesday successful a devastating avalanche successful a distant portion of Sierra Nevada northbound of Lake Tahoe.

When a catastrophic avalanche rumbled implicit a agelong of the High Sierra, dozens of instrumentality enforcement officers scoured the mountainside for a radical of 15 skiers, including 4 upland guides.

Within hours, crews rescued six survivors and discovered 8 deceased skiers adjacent the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts. Another skier was inactive missing, but was presumed dead.

After 5 days of navigating heavy snowpack and treacherous upwind conditions, authorities announced they had recovered the assemblage of the ninth victim.

During a property league connected Saturday afternoon, Nevada County identified the victims arsenic six skiers and 3 nonrecreational upland guides:

• Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nev., a Blackbird Mountain Guide
• Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs, Calif.
• Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Blackbird Mountain Guide
• Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho
• Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs, Calif., a Blackbird Mountain Guide
• Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.
• Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.
• Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco, Calif.
• Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, Calif.

Authorities lamented the fast-moving catastrophe arsenic the deadliest avalanche successful modern California history.

“There are nary words that genuinely seizure the value of this nonaccomplishment and our hearts mourn alongside the families of those affected by this catastrophic event,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said successful a connection connected Saturday. “The value of this lawsuit is felt crossed galore families, friends, and colleagues, and we basal unneurotic with them during this hard time.” Moon said.

The avalanche occurred amid a almighty atmospheric stream tempest that unleashed respective feet of snowfall onto the Sierra Nevada mountains. First responders maneuvered done the blizzard connected snowcats and skis to rescue the survivors.

But the unstable snowpack, precocious winds and whiteout conditions made search-and-recovery efforts excessively perilous, prompting archetypal responders to permission down the bodies of deceased skiers and suspend operations connected Wednesday and Thursday.

Authorities carved paths done the heavy snowfall to yet proceed the search, and California Highway Patrol officers recovered the ninth victim.

The Nevada County Sheriff‘s Office was besides assisted by California National Guard, California State Parks, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Truckee Police Department and the United States Forest Service.