Crews recover bodies of 9 backcountry skiers days after California avalanche
TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Crews recovered the bodies of nine skiers killed in a California avalanche four days ago, completing a harrowing operation that was hampered by heavy snowfall, authorities said Saturday.
A search team recovered the bodies of eight victims and located another victim who had been missing and presumed dead since Tuesday’s avalanche at Castle Peak near Lake Tahoe. The missing ninth person was found “relatively close” to the other victims, but it was impossible to see them due to security conditions at the time the other victims were found on Tuesday.
Rescue efforts were postponed for a few days due to heavy snowfall and avalanche danger.
Helicopters from the California National Guard and the California Highway Patrol recovered the bodies Saturday morning by hoisting them off the mountain and onto nearby snowmobiles (trucks equipped to transport them through snow).
Officials said On Friday, they reported using water to break up snow in the area as an avalanche mitigation effort; This was a technique designed to deliberately release the unstable snowpack to reduce risk once rescuers got inside.
Mitigation and search efforts include California Highway Patrol aerial operations, Nevada County Sheriff’s search and rescue team, Tahoe Nordic search and rescue, utility company Pacific Gas & Electric, Sierra avalanche center and others.
