Five people who died in the Feb. 17 avalanche were recovered on Feb. 20, while the remaining four were recovered on Feb. 21

Many of the people on the fatal trek were women — mothers, sisters and wives — with ties to Marin County, Calif.

The avalanche, the deadliest in California history and fourth deadliest in U.S. history, killed at least eight people and left a ninth missing.

There was no immediate word on possible injuries, or an exact number of how many people could be trapped.

The Castle Peak region, site of the avalanche, is a backcountry area in the Sierra Nevada, popular year-round and easily accessible from the interstate that connects the San Francisco Bay Area to the Lake Tahoe region.

An avalanche in the Lake Tahoe area on Feb. 17, 2026, was the deadliest on record in California. Here's what happens when snow begins to flow downhill.

After a week of heavy snowfall and a deadly avalanche in the greater Lake Tahoe region, the focus is now shifting from snow accumulation to what happens next.

The eight nearby skiers helped pull the men from the snow before they were taken to a Salt Lake Valley hospital.