The avalanche that killed at least eight skiers near Lake Tahoe is now under investigation for possible criminal negligence, as it becomes the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981.

One skier remains missing and is presumed dead after an avalanche buried a group of skiers near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday.

The group had spent two nights at the Frog Lake huts and was returning to the trailhead when the avalanche struck.

The avalanche struck a group of 15 people on a backcountry skiing trip to the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts.

The avalanche, the deadliest in California history and fourth deadliest in U.S. history, killed at least eight people and left a ninth missing.

Crews hope to resume efforts to recover the bodies of eight people killed in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada and search for a person missing but presumed dead on Friday.

Few laws govern backcountry skiing in California. Experts say that people engage in the sport at their own risk, but guides have responsibilities to keep clients safe.

A snowmobiler out with four friends was killed in an avalanche on Jan. 6 in the same region as Tuesday's event. Chris Scott Thomason of Bend, Oregon, died. The avalanche occurred in Johnson Valley on the backside of Castle Peak, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said.

A girl in Utah died after being caught in an avalanche in the backcountry of Salt Lake County on Thursday, officials said