One person is missing after a large avalanche engulfed a group of skiers in the US’s Sierra Nevada mountains.
Published on February 18, 2026
Local authorities say at least eight people have been found dead after an avalanche hit California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, the deadliest in more than 40 years.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon said Wednesday that rescue crews were hampered by difficult conditions amid the powerful winter storm.
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One person is missing. Six of the 15 skiers buried in the avalanche were found alive.
“We are still looking for one of the members at this time,” Moon confirmed to reporters, adding that family members have been informed that the search has shifted from rescue to recovery.
The deadly incident comes as California experiences a winter storm that has blanketed mountains near the popular winter destination of Lake Tahoe with heavy snow.
The Sierra Avalanche Center warned Wednesday that the risk of more avalanches in the area is high as several feet of additional snow is contributing to unstable conditions.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services announced statement He was at the forefront of a whole-of-government effort to help Nevada County, located in eastern California, on the border with the neighboring US state of Nevada.
“We are actively coordinating additional resources statewide to support avalanche search and rescue efforts to locate missing skiers near Castle Peak,” the office added.
Search-and-rescue teams were dispatched to the Castle Peak area on Tuesday morning after emergency services were called to report that 15 people on a three-day trek had been buried in an avalanche.
“Our thoughts are with the missing persons, their families and the first responders in the field,” the company Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement, adding that four guides were among the victims of the avalanche, who were returning to the trailhead.