Lake Tahoe avalanche victim was married to search and rescue team member: sheriff

One of eight skiers killedin a horrific avalanche Tuesday north of Lake Tahoe was married to a search and rescue team member, officials revealed.

The tragic coincidence was confirmed during a grim news conference nearly 24 hours after the snowy disaster — thedeadliest in California’s modern history.

“This incident has specifically struck our organization and that team hard as one of the nine missing decedents is a spouse of one of our Tahoe Nordic search and rescue team members,” Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo told reporters Wednesday.

Sheriff’s officials later clarified the spouse — a volunteer with the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team — didn’t take part in this week’s search, KTVUfirst reported.

The devastating avalanche struck a party of 15 skiers — four guides withBlackbird Mountain Guidesand 11 clients — as they returned from a three-day excursion in the remote mountains near Lake Tahoe.

At least eight died as the snow slide hit, with one more missing and presumed dead, officials said.

The tragedy prompted a desperate search by a slew of agencies, including the Tahoe rescue team.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos