LATEST: Rescue teams have recovered A PHONE containing a TERRIFYING SCREAMING VIDEO along with the nine victims of the deadly avalanche at Lake Tahoe; TWO PEOPLE ARE STILL ALIVE, but their current condition…

People observe a moment of silence during a vigil for the nine people who died in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada, on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Truckee, California. The three backcountry ski guides who died in last week’s avalanche were Tahoe-area residents, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said.  (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)

The names of three backcountry ski guides who died in last week’s Tahoe avalanche — now the deadliest in modern California history — have been released by the guiding company they worked for, and the bodies of all nine victims have been recovered.

The Blackbird Mountain Guides employees who were killed are Andrew Alissandratos of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole Choo of South Lake Tahoe; and Michael Henry of Soda Springs, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

Blackbird’s news release said they were each “skilled professionals, colleagues, and friends whose passion for the mountains shaped who we are.”

Their bodies and those of the six clients who died — all women and many of them from the Bay Area — were recovered Friday and Saturday from the site of the avalanche near Tahoe’s Donner Summit, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

The recovery was initially delayed by bad weather, but on Friday, the Sheriff’s Office and PG&E conducted avalanche mitigation work, Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Hack said at a press conference on Saturday.
The Castle Peak area is shown in an aerial view on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, near Soda Springs, California. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)
Search-and-rescue personnel from the California Highway Patrol recovered five of the bodies and found the remains of a final missing skier who had been presumed dead. They and the California National Guard recovered the remaining bodies on Saturday, Hack said.

On Sunday, the Tahoe-area city of Truckee held a vigil in honor of the avalanche victims. KUNR reported more than 100 people attended, leaving flowers, origami peace cranes and written messages.

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After a brief closure to support search-and-rescue operations, the area of the Tahoe National Forest where the slide occurred was reopened on Monday by the U.S. Forest Service.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the individuals and families impacted by this tragic backcountry incident, and we grieve with our community,” Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier wrote in a statement.

The Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KQED on Friday that it has launched an investigation into Blackbird Mountain Guides “to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence.” The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has opened a separate investigation, the department confirmed.

Blackbird has not responded to KQED’s request for comment on the investigations.

The bodies of nine people who died in an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California have been recovered.

Authorities previously said that a group of 15 skiers were caught in the avalanche while returning from a three-day backcountry skiing trip to the Frog Lake huts near Truckee, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Six of the victims killed in the avalanche were previously identified by a representative from JVP Communications as Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, her sister Caroline Sekar, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse and Kate Vitt, according to a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

In a press conference held on Saturday, Feb. 21, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the identities of the three remaining victims. They are Michael Henry, 30, Andrew Alissandratos, 34, and Niki Choo, 42. All three were employees of Blackbird Mountain Guides.

From left: Andrew Alissandratos; Michael Henry; Nicole Choo.blackbirdguides

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Only six people survived the slide, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Recovering the bodies was hampered due to “hazardous weather conditions,” and officials previously said that they thought efforts would continue through the weekend.

The families of the initial six victims recovered said they are “devastated beyond words” following the “incredible tragedy,” in the JVP Communications statement previously obtained by PEOPLE. They are now focused on supporting their kids while “honoring the lives of these extraordinary women” who are from the Bay Area, Idaho, and the Truckee–Tahoe region.

(L-R) Liz Clabaugh, Carrie Atkin, Kate Morse and Caroline Sekar.

The women were described as “close friends” on a “professionally guided” trip. They “were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains,” per the statement.

“They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors,” the families said. “They were passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains.”

Without going into specifics, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo previously said that one of the nine victims was the spouse of a search-and-rescue team member.

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The survivors of the avalanche spent several hours in the snow and cold while waiting for help to arrive. During the wait, Moon said they found three of the victims who died in the slide.

Captain Russell Greene of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) previously told NBC News that some of the survivors took shelter under trees near the site of the avalanche.

Greene also said every skier had a special beacon that could send alerts to rescuers, and at least one of the guides was able to send text messages while the group waited for help.

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Rescue crews reached the group shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Moon said. Two of the survivors were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after they were rescued, she added.

The avalanche occurred in a “very remote, rugged area” of the backcountry, according to the sheriff, who said conditions on the mountain during the search for survivors and victims were “horrific.”