Horrifying new footage shows the lodges where a group of skiers were staying before they were struck by a huge avalanche.
The apocalyptical video, taken from a news helicopter, sees layers of snow completely engulfing Frog Lake huts on Castle Peak, near Truckee, on Friday afternoon.
Eight people were killed in the slide on Tuesday when the group tried to escape the massive winter storm. Another is still missing and presumed dead.
Footage obtained by KCRAshowed the huts coated in snow covering their roofs and as high as first floor windows.
The clip also shows what is understood to be rescuers’ snowmobiles and snowcats parked outside the buildings as they worked to recover the bodies.
They appeared to have made tracks through the drift since arriving on Wednesday night, with some rescuers staying in the lodges during the operation.
The lodges were a short distance away from where the avalanche struck as the skiers tried to make their way back to their vehicles during the storm.
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Rescuers have been weighing the idea of setting off explosives to trigger additional avalanches on the mountain amid the search mission.
In order to make conditions safer for rescuers, officials will now take to the air to decide whether or not they can manually trigger avalanches with explosives.
The sheriff’s office said: “The objective of the aerial surveys is to visually assess the conditions of the avalanche scene and snowpack as well as to make determinations if controlled avalanche mitigation may be possible at some point.
“Controlled avalanche mitigation consists of pre-planned explosive deployment to intentionally release unstable snowpack.
“These proactive measures are designed to reduce the risk of naturally occurring avalanches and enhance first responder safety within the affected area, so they may recover victims with lower risk.”
The recovery process has been delayed by inclement weather and the fear of additional surprise avalanches in the area.
Six women have so far been identified in the tragedy, named as Carrie Atkin, Kate Morse, Danielle Keatley, Caroline Sekar, Kate Vitt and Liz Claubaugh.
Six others, including five women and a man aged 30 to 55, were rescued from the mountain on Wednesday.
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