Eight skiers lifeless and one nonetheless unaccounted for after avalanche swept them away on California mountain

Eight backcountry skiers have been found dead and one remains unaccounted for after they were swept away by an avalanche in California.

Fifteen skiers led by Blackbird Mountain Guides were on Castle Peak, near Tahoe, late Tuesday morning when they were hit by a slide and a huge storm dumping heavy snow. 

Eight of the missing skiers were found deceased on Wednesday. Their cause of deaths cannot be confirmed at this time.

The victims identities are being withheld pending family notifications. 

Of the six people rescued, one person was a guide, and the others were clients on the trip.

At the time of the rescue, three people were already found deceased.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said during a news conference that authorities have told the families the mission has moved from rescue to recovery. 

Tuesday’s deadly avalanche took place just one mile away from an avalanche that occurred in January.

Members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on Tuesday 

Crews have faced treacherous conditions in their search for the missing skiers since the avalanche struck Tuesday morning. 

Search and rescue crews were dispatched to the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada after a 911 call reporting the avalanche had buried 15 skiers.

Six of them have been found alive. Of the survivors, one is a man, and five are women, ages 30 to 55, according to Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon.

The group was on a three-day trek in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada as a monster winter storm pummeled the West Coast.

Two of those rescued after several hours of searching were taken to a hospital for treatment. 

Officials said heavy snow and the threat of additional avalanches slowed the rescue effort in the mountains near Castle Peak, northwest of Lake Tahoe. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.