A powerful avalanche near Lake Tahoe has killed eight backcountry skiers, and search teams are still looking for one more person, AP reported. Officials said Wednesday that this is the deadliest avalanche in the United States in nearly 50 years. The group was skiing in the mountains near Truckee when a huge wall of snow came crashing down Tuesday morning.

Authorities said the skiers had almost no time to react. “Someone saw the avalanche, yelled ‘Avalanche!’ and it overtook them rather quickly,” said Capt. Russell “Rusty” Greene of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

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Avalanche near Lake Tahoe kills eight skiers, one still missing

According to AP, the skiers were on a guided three-day backcountry trip in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada when a major winter storm took over the West Coast. Sheriff Shannan Moon said investigators will now look into why the group decided to go forward with the trip on Sunday, even though a major storm had been forecast. At 6:49 am that morning, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch. That suggested large avalanches were likely within the next 24 to 48 hours.

Hours before the incident, the center upgraded the watch to a warning. Officials are not sure whether the guides knew about that warning before heading out. Since Sunday, between three and six feet of snow has been recorded. Temperatures dropped below freezing, and strong winds made conditions even worse. The avalanche center said the snowpack remains unstable and unpredictable in the area, which is known for its steep cliffs.

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Rescue efforts turn into recovery mission

Six people were rescued about six hours after the avalanche hit. They were found just before sunset Tuesday. The survivors had avalanche beacons, devices that send signals to rescuers. At least one guide was able to send text messages for help. It’s unclear whether anyone was wearing avalanche air bags, which can help keep skiers near the surface.

While waiting to be rescued, the survivors used their gear to build shelter and protect themselves from the freezing cold. During that time, they found three members of their group who had already died, Sheriff Moon said, according to AP.

Rescuers used a snowcat to get within two miles of the survivors. From there, they skied in slowly without triggering another avalanche. One of the rescued skiers remained in the hospital on Wednesday. A guide was among those who survived.

Authorities have now told families that the effort has shifted from trying to save lives to recovering bodies. “They’re still reeling,” Moon said about the families. “I could not imagine what they’re going through.” The victims, including three guides, were found fairly close together, Greene said. The dead and the missing include seven women and two men between the ages of 30 and 55. Authorities said 15 backcountry skiers were on the trip, not 16 as first believed. One skier had pulled out at the last minute.

A historic and tragic area

The avalanche happened near Donner Summit, an area with a long and tragic history. The summit is named after the Donner Party, a group of pioneers who became trapped there during the winter of 1846–1847 and resorted to cannibalism to survive. The land around Donner Summit was closed to the public for nearly 100 years before reopening in 2020. This is the deadliest avalanche in the US since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state. Each winter, between 25 and 30 people die in avalanches across the country, according to the National Avalanche Center.