00:06At least eight skiers were killed, and a ninth is presumed dead after an avalanche struck California's Sierra Nevada.
00:14Rescuers on skis reached six survivors during severe winter storms that had dumped several meters of fresh snow, while one
00:22skier remains missing.
00:23The avalanche, about the length of a football field, hit backcountry skiers near Truckee, north of Lake Tahoe, on Tuesday
00:30morning.
00:32So this was a part of a three-day trip from Blackbird Mountain Guides to the Frog Lake huts, which
00:40is right in that area of Castle Peak.
00:42They have been, this was, and yesterday was their third day that they were returning, coming out of the backcountry,
00:50coming back to the trailhead when the avalanche occurred.
00:53The survivors sheltered in a makeshift tarp structure and contacted rescuers via radio beacon and text messages.
01:01About 50 rescuers from Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and a nearby center battled blinding snow and gale force winds,
01:08using a snowcat to get close before skiing the final two miles to the site.
01:13Authorities said the eight dead skiers were found with their beacons active,
01:18and their bodies will be recovered when weather permits,
01:21while a ninth skier from the group remains missing and is presumed dead.
01:26Meanwhile, one rescued skier remains in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
01:31One
01:32six
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