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TRUCKEE, Calif. — Authorities announced on Saturday that they have successfully retrieved the bodies of nine backcountry skiers who perished in a devastating avalanche in California four days prior. The recovery mission faced significant challenges due to heavy snowfall.
Rescue teams were able to locate eight victims and discovered one additional individual who had been missing and presumed dead since the avalanche struck Castle Peak near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday. The ninth victim was found in close proximity to the others, though initial efforts to locate them were hampered by severe white-out conditions on the day of the avalanche.
Efforts to recover the bodies were postponed for several days due to ongoing snowfall and the looming danger of further avalanches.
On Saturday morning, helicopters from the California National Guard and California Highway Patrol were used to airlift the bodies from the mountain. They were transported to nearby snowcats, specialized vehicles designed for snowy terrains.
Officials noted on Friday that they employed avalanche mitigation techniques, using water to deliberately release unstable snowpacks. This method was intended to minimize risks for rescue crews operating in the area.
The mitigation and search efforts have included California Highway Patrol air operations, Nevada County Sheriff’s search and rescue, Tahoe Nordic search and rescue, the utility company Pacific Gas & Electric, the Sierra avalanche center and others.
Victims
Carrie Atkin – Truckee-Tahoe area
Danielle Keatley – Marin County, CA
Kate Morse – Marin County, CA
Kate Vitt – Marin County, CA
Caroline Sekar – San Francisco, CA
Liz Clabaugh – Boise, ID
The three remaining victims were identified on Saturday. All were professional guides.
Andrew Alissandratos – Nevada
Nicole Chu – South Lake Tahoe
Michael Henry-Tampa, FL
KGO-TV/ABC7 Eyewitness News contributed to this report
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