This image provided by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office shows members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on February 17, 2026. AP
Eight of the nine skiers missing in California after an avalanche have been found dead and one remains missing in horrific blizzard conditions, police said Wednesday, February 18.
Rescuers have been desperately searching for the group, which was caught in the avalanche early Tuesday on Castle Peak in the Tahoe area. Earlier, six skiers were found alive, two of them being taken to hospital.
"We are still looking for one of the members at this time," Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said, cautioning that the storm is hampering any movement. "Extreme weather conditions I would say is an understatement: lots of snow, gale-force winds, winds making it impossible to see."
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon replies to a question during a press conference after a group of skiers went missing in an avalanche in the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the Nevada County Sheriff's Office in Nevada City, California, February 18, 2026. FRED GREAVES / REUTERS
