Gov. Gavin Newsom reveals his ‘family friends’ are among Tahoe avalanche victims

California Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed on Thursday that some of his “family friends” were among the backcountry skiers killed in the deadly avalanche in the Lake Tahoe area.

“It turns out, a lot of mutual friends in Marin County — I’m just learning [that] some of my wife’s old family friends” were among the victims, Newsom said at an unrelated press conference.

“It’s just tragic, the most devastating avalanche in terms of loss of life we have ever experienced,” the governor said.

Of the 15 people caught in the avalanche, nine died, including the one still-missing skier who is presumed dead. Six people had been rescued.

Authorities on Thursday suspended search and rescue efforts due to hazardous weather conditions in the region, and the bodies still remain on the snowbound mountain.

“Avalanche victims cannot be safely extracted off the mountain today,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday morning. “Recovery efforts are expected to carry into the weekend.”

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Nearly 100 first responders were involved in the search effort, Newsom said in a Wednesday X post.

Authorities have not released any details about the group outside of the fact that they were all between the ages of 30 and 55.

But by late Thursday, the identities of six women who died on the trip had emerged.

Among them were two sisters, Caroline Sekar, 45, and Liz Clabaugh, 52, and Kate Vitt — a mom of two and a former vice president at SiriusXM.

Three other women on the expedition were identified as Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley and Kate Morse.

“We are heartbroken,” the families of the victims said in a statement issued by a spokesperson.

“And are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted,” the statement read.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company that lead the two-night backcountry hut trip, said they lost three “highly experienced members.”

“This was an enormous tragedy, and the saddest event our team has ever experienced,” they said in a statement.

Law enforcement also added they were looking into the company following the deadliest incident on Castle Peak in modern history.

“There is still a lot that we’re learning about what happened. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway,” the skiing company said.

“Our most important focus is on those directly impacted and supporting their needs. As such, we’ve suspended field operations at minimum through February 22, and may extend that into the next week or two,” they added.