Rescuers in California have recovered the body of the ninth and final person missing in an avalanche in the Sierra Nevada mountains, the local sheriff’s office confirmed.

The avalanche struck Castle Peak, near the Lake Tahoe area, on Tuesday, catching a group of 15 skiers, including four guides and 11 paying clients. Out of the group, six people survived, making the incident one of the deadliest avalanches in recent US history.

“Nine individuals who lost their lives in the Castle Peak avalanche on 17 February have been safely recovered from the mountain,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Sheriff Shannan Moon expressed condolences to the victims’ families, stating, “There are no words that truly capture the significance of this loss and our hearts mourn alongside the families of those affected by this catastrophic event.”

Officials had warned on Thursday that search operations would extend into the weekend due to inclement weather and challenging conditions. Heavy snowfall, white-out visibility, and the ongoing threat of further slides complicated recovery efforts, forcing rescue teams to proceed cautiously.

The six survivors, including five clients and one guide, were able to call for help soon after the avalanche occurred. However, the combination of poor visibility and hazardous terrain delayed rescue teams for several hours.

Late on Thursday, families of six victims released a statement identifying them as women described as “mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors.” They were remembered as “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains,” though families acknowledged that many questions about the tragedy remain unanswered.

The Sierra Nevada region had been under avalanche warnings at the time of the incident, with authorities urging caution for all backcountry skiers. Rescue teams from local and state agencies worked through dangerous conditions to locate and recover the missing.

Officials emphasized the importance of safety and preparedness in avalanche-prone areas, noting that even experienced skiers can face life-threatening risks when conditions deteriorate rapidly. The Castle Peak tragedy has prompted renewed discussions about avalanche awareness and emergency response in high-risk recreational areas.

Rescue crews are continuing to monitor the area for further hazards, while local authorities and outdoor groups are offering support to families and friends affected by the loss. The community has expressed solidarity with the victims and survivors, highlighting the shared impact of the avalanche on those who enjoy winter sports in the Lake Tahoe region.

Google is rolling out new artificial intelligence features in Gmail to help users write emails, summarise information, and manage tasks. The move is part of the company’s push to make Gmail more than just an email service, turning it into a personal assistant that can organise users’ inboxes and improve productivity.

The AI features, announced Thursday, are initially available in English in the United States, with plans to expand to other languages and countries later this year. One of the main tools, called “Help Me Write,” is designed to learn a user’s writing style and offer real-time suggestions for composing or refining emails.

Subscribers to Google’s Pro and Ultra services will also gain access to a feature similar to the AI-powered Overviews tool in Google Search. This allows users to type conversational questions into Gmail’s search bar to quickly extract information buried in their inboxes.

Another experimental feature, “AI Inbox,” is being tested with a small group of trusted users in the US. It can scan inboxes to suggest to-do lists and highlight topics that may require attention. Blake Barnes, Google vice president of product, described the feature as an effort to make Gmail “proactively have your back.”

All of the new functionality is powered by Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 3, which was integrated into its search engine in 2025. The update received widespread attention and prompted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose company makes ChatGPT, to declare a “code red,” highlighting the competitive pressure in the AI sector.

While the new features could make Gmail more useful, they also raise potential risks. Experts warn that AI-generated content may occasionally be misleading or incorrect, and privacy concerns persist when AI systems access personal emails. Google said users can turn off the features at any time and proofread AI-suggested content before sending.

To address privacy, Google said no personal content processed by Gmail’s AI will be used to train the Gemini models. The company has also implemented engineering measures to protect inbox information from external access.

Gmail, which launched nearly 22 years ago and now serves more than three billion users worldwide, has faced privacy scrutiny before, particularly when it introduced targeted ads based on inbox content. Google says the new AI tools are designed with safeguards to prevent similar concerns from arising.

The rollout represents a significant step in Google’s effort to integrate AI across its services, potentially reshaping how people interact with email and manage information online.