emirates7 - The bodies of all nine people who died in a deadly avalanche in California earlier this week have been recovered, authorities said on Saturday.

Officials confirmed that four bodies were recovered on Friday and five others on Saturday morning. All were airlifted by helicopter from the remote mountainous area.

The avalanche struck at approximately 11:30 local time on Tuesday in the Castle Peak area of Nevada County.

A group of 15 people was returning to the trailhead at the end of a three-day guided ski trip when the accident occurred. Only six members of the group survived the avalanche and were rescued on Tuesday evening after search and rescue teams navigated blizzard conditions for several hours.

Eight of the skiers were confirmed dead on Wednesday, while the ninth had been listed as missing and was presumed dead until Saturday.