Skiers with roots in Lake Tahoe's alpine community among the 8 killed in California avalanche

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — After days of increasingly brutal conditions in California’s Sierra Nevada, a group of 15 backcountry skiers set out for home. But as they left remote huts at thousands of feet of elevation and trekked back toward the trailhead, they were slammed by a treacherous avalanche that left eight dead and one missing.

With more heavy snow expected Thursday and a high risk of new avalanches, officials were still waiting for the powerful storm to clear so they could recover the bodies of the victims of Tuesday's avalanche, the nation’s deadliest in nearly half a century. Officials have not yet released the names.

The ski group involved has deep ties to the alpine recreation community in Lake Tahoe, including the elite Sugar Bowl Academy, which issued a statement late Wednesday mourning the loss of victims with “strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit and the backcountry community.”

It did not say how the skiers, said to range in age from 30 to 55, were connected to the school, which offers alpine and backcountry ski instruction and academics for young athletes.

“We are an incredibly close and connected community,” Sugar Bowl Academy executive director Stephen McMahon said in the statement. “This tragedy has affected each and every one of us.”

Four in the group were employed by Blackbird Mountain Guides, which offers mountaineering and backcountry ski trips as well as safety courses across the West and internationally. One of them was among the six survivors.

The three-day tour, which began Sunday, was for intermediate to expert skiers, according to the company's website.

The tour company said in a statement Wednesday night that it has launched an investigation and paused field operations at least through the weekend while it prioritizes supporting the victims’ families.

The guides who led the group were trained or certified in backcountry skiing, and were instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.

While in the field, they “are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions,” founder Zeb Blais said in the statement.

“We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do,” the company said. “In the meantime, please keep those impacted in your hearts.”

Mayor Max Perrey of Marin County's Mill Valley, a small city about 14 miles (22 kilometers) north of San Francisco, confirmed that some in the group were women from his city. He was not able to provide additional details but told The Associated Press via email that more information would be released later.

One of the victims was married to a member of a backcountry search and rescue team in the area, said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo.

Several more feet of snow could fall around the Lake Tahoe region going into the weekend. The Sierra Avalanche Center issued travel warnings Thursday, saying the risk of large avalanches remains high.

The center first posted an avalanche watch Sunday morning, and elevated that to a warning by 5 a.m. Tuesday, indicating that avalanches were expected. It is not clear whether the guides knew about the change before they began their return trek.

Authorities described a harrowing scene as the survivors scoured the snow for the missing and waited six hours for help to arrive in blizzard conditions. They found three of the bodies, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said.

The skiers all had beacons that can send signals to rescuers, and at least one guide was able to send text messages. But it was not clear whether they were wearing avalanche bags, which are inflatable devices that can keep skiers near the surface, sheriff's Capt. Russell “Rusty” Greene said.

One of those rescued remained hospitalized Wednesday, Moon said.

Three to 6 feet (91 centimeters to 1.8 meters) of snow has fallen in the area since Sunday. The area was also hit by subfreezing temperatures and gale force winds.

The avalanche is the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state, and the second deadly avalanche near Castle Peak this year, after a snowmobiler was buried January. Each winter the slides kill 25 to 30 in the country, according to the National Avalanche Center.

The area near Donner Summit, where the ski trip took place, is one of the snowiest places in the Western Hemisphere and until just a few years ago was closed to the public. The summit is named for the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847.

Watson reported from San Diego, and Golden from Seattle. Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento contributed.

A motorist exits a vehicle during a snow storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Snow comes down on pine trees during a storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A California Highway Patrol vehicle is parked along a road during a snow storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A motorist exits a vehicle during a snow storm Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Placer County, Calf. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Pine trees are covered in snow during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Trucks are lined up along Interstate 80 during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A road is cleared during a snow storm on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Snow covers a road on an underpass along interstate 80 on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 near Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members of the body have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package and that five countries have agreed to deploy troops to take part in an international stabilization force to the war-battered Palestinian territory.

Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have pledged to send troops for Gaza stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to train police for the efforts.

Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a major population center where the U.S. administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait are the countries that are making pledges, Trump said.

“Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” said Trump in thanking the donors. He added, “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room."

The dollars pledged, while significant, represents a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war.

Trump also announced the U.S. was pledging $10 billion for the Board of Peace, but didn’t specify what the money will be used for.

Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, the leader of the newly-created International Stabilization Force said the plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers for Gaza.

“With these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,” Jeffers said.

The board was initiated as part of Trump's 20-point peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza. But since the October ceasefire, Trump's vision for the board has morphed and he wants it to have an even more ambitious remit — one that will not only complete the Herculean task of bringing lasting peace between Israel and Hamas but will also help resolve conflicts around the globe.

But the Gaza ceasefire deal remains fragile and Trump's expanded vision for it has triggered fears the U.S. president is looking to create a rival to the United Nations.

Trump, pushing back against the criticism, said the creation of his board would help make the U.N. viable in the future.

“Someday I won’t be here. The United Nations will be,” Trump said. “I think it is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.”

Most countries sent high-level officials, but a few leaders—including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Hungarian President Viktor Orbán—traveled to Washington for the gathering.

More than 40 countries and the European Union confirmed they were sending officials to Thursday’s meeting. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but are taking part as observers.

“Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be," Trump predicted. "And some are playing a little cute -- it doesn’t work. You can’t play cute with me.”

The U.N. Security Council held a high-level meeting Wednesday on the ceasefire deal and Israel’s efforts to expand control in the West Bank. The U.N. session in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved up after Trump announced the board’s meeting for the same date and it became clear that it would complicate travel plans for diplomats planning to attend both.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters earlier this week that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.” The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed back on the Vatican's concerns.

Central to Thursday's discussions was creating an armed international stabilization force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel and a cornerstone of the ceasefire deal.

Hamas has provided little confidence that it is willing to move forward on disarmament. The administration is “under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization” but has been encouraged by what mediators have reported back, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We have a long ways to go,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in remarks to the gathering. “There’s a lot of work that remains that will require the contribution of every nation state represented here today.”

Associated Press writers Didi Tang in Washington, Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed reporting.

President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, attends a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Argentina's President Javier Milei is seen during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trumpl listens during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

FILE - President Donald Trump's name is seen on the U.S. Institute of Peace building, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)