Overview
- Authorities confirm eight fatalities with one person still unaccounted for, while six survivors were rescued and two received hospital care.
- The guided backcountry group of 15 — four guides and 11 clients — was struck near Castle Peak around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday during the final day of a three‑day trip.
- Forecasters had posted high avalanche danger driven by rapid snowfall, gale‑force winds and a fragile weak layer capable of producing large slides.
- Operations moved from rescue to recovery as persistent avalanche risk and near‑blizzard conditions limit access; Cal OES is coordinating additional resources and the victims' bodies have not yet been removed.
- Investigators plan to review why the excursion proceeded despite active warnings, and officials describe the tragedy as the deadliest U.S. avalanche in decades.