Eight out of the nine backcountry skiers who were still missing after a large avalanche swept the Castle Peak area of the Sierra, Nevada, mountains in California on Tuesday, have been found dead.

Nevada County officials announced the development during a press conference on Wednesday, where it was confirmed that the bodies of the eight skiers have been found while one individual still remains missing.

“Eight of the additional nine skiers have been located deceased. We are still looking for one of the members at this time,” Nevada County sheriff Shannan Moon said on Wednesday.

In addition, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said the situation has been challenging for the community, noting that authorities were focused on recovering the bodies of the deceased to their families.

“So, as you can understand, this is not only been challenging for our community, it’s been a challenging rescue, but it’s also been challenging emotionally for our team and our organisation,” Mr Woo said.

He added, “My request to members of the public during this time is please avoid the Sierras during this current storm. And in the upcoming days, avoid mountain travel. It’s treacherous. Avoid the backcountry. Please allow us to focus all of our resources on continuing to recover these bodies for the family, and bring them home.”

The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday near Lake Tahoe where a group of 11 skiers and four guides had been spending three days when an avalanche engulfed them.

Officials immediately initiated search operations with rescuers trekking for hours in whiteout conditions before they were able to locate and rescue six members of the group, who had been stranded on Tuesday evening, with two of them eventually requiring hospitalisation.

The confirmation of the eight skiers’ deaths made the incident the most deadly avalanche in California history.