California: nine people missing after avalanche on Castle Peak
The snow slide occurred at one of the busiest spots in the Tahoe National Forest. The avalanche swept up 15 people in total, and six skiers were rescued Tuesday with injuries of varying severity.
Rescue crews in the Castle Peak area.
Rescue crews are continuing the search for nine skiers missing after an avalanche in northern California, an area hit by an intense storm, local authorities said Tuesday.
The snow slide occurred around 11:30 local time at Castle Peak, one of the busiest spots in the Tahoe National Forest. The avalanche swept up 15 people in all. Authorities had previously reported that 16 people - four guides and 12 clients - were participating in the hike, before correcting that figure and reducing it to 15.
Six skiers were rescued "with injuries of varying severity" Tuesday afternoon, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said. However, mountain rescue teams, battling dangerous conditions, were still trying to locate the others as snow continued to fall and daylight faded.
"Rescue efforts are now moving forward with 46 rescuers, including "highly trained ski rescue teams" from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner's Alder Creek Adventure Center, who were dispatched to rescue the six identified survivors.
Castle Peak, which reaches 2,777 meters high, is a popular destination for skiers. It is located near the community of Soda Springs, where at least 76 centimeters of snow has accumulated in the past 24 hours, according to meteorologists, forcing a temporary suspension of operations.
An alert had been issued
An intense winter storm has been advancing through California, on the west coast of United States, since the beginning of the week, affecting the state with heavy rain, strong winds and snowfall. Authorities had issued an avalanche risk warning from early Tuesday through early Wednesday for the Sierra Nevada range, where Castle Peak is located.
"Large avalanches are expected to occur Tuesday night, and at least through early Wednesday morning in uncontrolled mountain terrain," the Sierra Avalanche Center announced earlier in the day.
The National Weather Service said some areas of the Sierra Nevada could accumulate up to 2.4 meters of snow before the storm begins to dissipate late Wednesday.
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