The avalanche occurred in the Castle Peak area of Tahoe National Forest on Feb. 17

Castle Peak Avalanche Rescue Efforts

Rescuers search for victims of the backcountry avalanche in the Castle Peak area of Tahoe National Forest.Credit : Nevada County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

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.

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.

Avalanche at Castle Peak victims.
(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.

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.”