Ask Onix
Final victim found in Lake Tahoe avalanche tragedy
Search teams recovered the ninth and last body on Saturday, closing a five-day operation after a massive avalanche swept through a backcountry ski group near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada.
Victims identified
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon released the names of all nine victims during a Saturday press conference. The group included six close friends-among them two sisters-and three professional guides from Blackbird Mountain.
The deceased were identified as Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae. The guides were Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe; and Michael Henry, 30, of Soda Springs.
Survivors may hold key details
Two members of the 15-person group escaped the avalanche unharmed. Authorities said their accounts could help reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the disaster, which Sheriff Moon described as the deadliest in modern California history.
Rescue efforts hampered by extreme conditions
Search crews faced relentless challenges, including white-out conditions and persistent avalanche risks. High winds grounded helicopters for days, delaying critical aerial support. On Friday, calmer winds allowed crews to deploy helicopters to douse the area with water-a tactic used to reduce further avalanche threats-before ground teams resumed the search for the final missing skier.
Investigation into possible negligence
The Nevada County Sheriff's Office confirmed to CBS News that it is examining whether criminal negligence played a role in the avalanche. Undersheriff Sam Brown earlier described the group's initial response as "frantic," with survivors digging out three victims who did not survive.
Scale of the disaster
The avalanche, which struck on Tuesday, buried an area roughly the size of an American football field. Avalanche experts told authorities the force was nearly strong enough to destroy a house. The group had been returning from a three-day guided backcountry trip when the slide hit, unleashing eight feet of snow and winds reaching 90 mph.
Six of the 15 skiers were rescued earlier in the week. Sheriff Moon expressed gratitude for the recovery efforts, saying, "While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home."
