Authorities are investigating whether any criminal negligence was involved in the deadly avalanche that swept California\u2019s Lake Tahoe this week, which killed at least eight skiers and their guides while returning from a three-day backcountry skiing trip.<\/p>\n
The Nevada county sheriff\u2019s office said on Friday said that they notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha), which regulates workplace safety, of the active investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are investigating the incident to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence,\u201d said a spokesperson for the sheriff\u2019s office. \u201cIt is too early to know if criminal charges will be applicable, as the investigation is preliminary and remains active and ongoing. The district attorney\u2019s office would ultimately be the determining authority for any criminal charges to be filed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The avalanche, the deadliest in California\u2019s modern history, killed at least eight people and a ninth skier is still missing but is presumed dead.<\/p>\n
Blackbird Mountain Guides, which employed the ski guides that led the trek, said in a statement released on Wednesday that three of their workers died after the avalanche, and one of them survived.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was an enormous tragedy, and the saddest event our team has ever experienced,\u201d said Zeb Blais, founder of Blackbird Mountain Guides, in the statement. \u201cWe are doing what we can to support the families who lost so much, and the members of our team who lost treasured friends and colleagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is still a lot that we\u2019re learning about what happened. It\u2019s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway,\u201d Blais added in Wednesday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
As the 15 skiers were coming back from their trip, which started on Sunday, avalanche warnings were already in place. Blackbird Mountain Guides seemed to be aware of the hazardous weather conditions, according to a social media video<\/a> posted on Sunday.<\/p>\n During a press conference on Wednesday, Shannan Moon, Nevada county\u2019s sheriff, said that the investigation includes learning why the ski trip was not cancelled.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are the decisions that the guide company clearly had made,\u201d Moon said. \u201cWe\u2019re still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made.\u201d<\/p>\n Six of the 15 skiers survived and were rescued, including the fourth guide. Amid hazardous weather conditions, the avalanche victims have not yet been extracted from the mountain.<\/p>\n \u201cAdverse weather, coupled with ongoing avalanche danger, has hindered the recovery process,\u201d a statement<\/a> released on Friday by the Nevada county sheriff\u2019s office said. A statement released on Thursday said \u201cuntil the recovery mission is completed, the Nevada County Sheriff\u2019s Office is unable to confirm the identifications, ages, affiliations, or cities of origin for the victims.\u201d<\/p>\n Family members have confirmed the identities of six of the eight people<\/a> who died in Tuesday\u2019s avalanche. The identified victims \u2013 Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt \u2013 were part of a group which frequently went on ski trips together.<\/p>\n