Eight skiers found dead after avalanche in northern California
Another person is missing after the avalanche hit Truckee on Tuesday morning
Eight skiers have been found dead after an avalanche in northern California, with one more still missing.
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The avalanche hit Castle Peak in Truckee on Tuesday at around 11.30am local time (7.30pm GMT).
The cascade of snow swept a group of 15 backcountry skiers, with six rescued after being trapped.
On Wednesday, authorities confirmed that they had found the bodies of eight of the nine skiers unaccounted for.
They are continuing to search for the last missing individual.
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The disaster followed a severe snowstorm in the region and conditions remain dangerous for emergency responders, according to local law enforcement.
The eight victims are still in the area in which the avalanche took place because conditions make recovering them difficult.
Rescuers have said they have put the bodies in an area where they can be found again when the weather improves on the mountain.
Sheriff Shannan Moon says the deceased came from "multiple different states" when asked to identify them.
She said they will release their identities in due course.
Those who survived reported that someone saw the avalanche, "yelled avalanche, then it overtook them fairly quickly".
At 5am on Tuesday, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning covering the region for 24 hours.
The forecast indicated that conditions were primed for large natural avalanches across backcountry terrain.
In its advisory, the centre stated: "Large avalanches are expected to occur [on] Tuesday night, and into at least early Wednesday morning across backcountry terrain."
The danger rating was listed as "high" by the monitoring station.
"Travel in, near, or below avalanche terrain is not recommended today. A widespread natural avalanche cycle is expected over the next 24 hours," the centre added.
"Large avalanches may run through treed areas."
Experts note that such conditions significantly increase the likelihood of natural slides, particularly on open slopes and near ridgelines.