In the heart of Russia’s icy Ural Mountains, a group of nine students from Ural University embarked on a daring expedition in 1959 — a journey that would end in one of the most chilling unsolved mysteries of the 20th century. Known today as the Dyatlov Pass Incident, this real-life horror story has baffled investigators and conspiracy theorists for decades. What really happened on that frozen slope? Join us as we uncover the full story behind the tragedy that turned a routine hike into a haunting legend.
Nine university students embarked on a journey through the snowy mountains of Russia. The nine trekkers were very excited about the trip. One day, as night approached, they pitched their tent on the side of a mountain slope. But after darkness fell that night, they would face something terrifying they had never seen before. The terrifying event or thing that these nine faced would turn into one of the most famous and mysterious cases in history; this incident would be called the Dyatlov Pass incident.
Details of the Adventurers Group: Age Background and Experience in the Ural Mountains
The Dyatlov Pass incident is considered a very old case, occurring in 1959, 65 years ago. The location of the events was in Russia, or the Soviet Union at that time. What happened was that a group of ten adventurers decided to embark on a journey in one of the mountainous regions. These ten were eight young men and two women, most of whom were university students, and all of them studied at the same university. Their ages ranged between 20 and 23 years, and some of them had just graduated. Only one of them was in his thirties and was not a student or recent graduate. These ten were not just amateur adventurers, and this trip was not their first. These were seasoned trekkers with significant experience.
Trip Objectives: Reaching Level Three in the Ural Mountains
The mountainous region they decided to go to is called the Ural Mountains, located in Siberia. Siberia is, of course, known for being one of the coldest regions in Russia, a very difficult and harsh area. The reason these trekkers targeted this difficult mountainous area is that at that time in the Soviet Union, there was an association or union for trekkers and adventurers, and there were three classifications for trekkers: Level One, Level Two, and Level Three. These ten were all Level Two, and their ambition was to reach Level Three. No one reaches this level unless they embark on a difficult type of journey. So, the goal of these adventurers from the trip was to reach Level Three, and the trip was even sponsored by their university, which funded them. All of them were members of the university's sports club.
Dyatlov's Leadership and the Route to the Mountains
The leader of the expedition among the ten was a 23-year-old man named Igor Dyatlov, and he was the most experienced among them. Dyatlov and his friends embarked on this journey in January 1959. Of course, they lived in a city far from these mountains where they decided their adventure would be. To reach these mountains, first they took a train, and after reaching Siberia, they took a bus, and then they took a truck to take them to the beginning of the mountain area. At the mountains, they rode on horse-drawn sleds, and then they continued their adventure on foot.
Documenting the Journey with Photos and Diaries and Yudin's Withdrawal Due to Back Pain
They had cameras to take pictures, and they also had diaries in which they recorded the events they experienced, meaning they were documenting everything on their trip, which was an essential part of the journey as members of the association and wanting to reach Level Three. From the beginning of the trip, the ten were enthusiastic about the adventure, but one of them, named Yudin, began to feel severe back pain from the first two days. After he felt that he could not complete the journey, he decided to return and leave his friends and his dream of reaching Level Three. At that moment, he felt sad and sorry, but after a while, he realized that this back pain was a blessing to him, so he would not share his friends' terrifying fate that would befall them.
Nine Trekkers Continue Their Journey Towards the Mountain of Death and Their Final Fate
With his withdrawal, the group's number became nine people. The adventurers continued their journey through the Ural Mountains. Of course, when night fell, they would pitch their tent and sleep in it. They continued to delve deeper into these mountains every day. After a few days of the journey, they reached a mountain that the local residents call the Mountain of Death. Other sources say they call it the Mountain of Wind or something similar, but most sources say they call it the Mountain of Death. This is the summit of the mountain, and this is the path the nine adventurers took. This path is at the bottom of the mountain, at the foot of the mountain, then the nine climbed along the mountain slope and reached this point. Here at this point, night began to overtake them, so they pitched their tent. This point was on the mountain slope, so they had to dig into the snow to create a flat surface to pitch their tent. That night, the nine trekkers slept in their tent without knowing it would be the last night of their lives. That night, a calamity would befall them, turning their journey into one of the strangest and most mysterious cases in modern history. The last writing found in one of their diaries stated: "It's hard to imagine such comfort on a mountain summit amidst the howling snowstorm, hundreds of kilometers away from any human civilization." This means she was saying she felt comfortable in their tent on the mountain summit amidst the snowstorm and the merciless cold. She felt comfortable even though they were hundreds of kilometers away from any human civilization. What we understand from this writing found in her diary is that she had no idea or any feelings of fear, neither she nor her friends, about the calamity that would befall them that night. They had no idea; on the contrary, she said she was comfortable.
Loss of Contact and Search Team Finds the Torn Tent
After that night, the nine trekkers completely lost contact with the outside world. Their trip was not supposed to last more than two weeks at most, but three weeks passed without any trace of them. Their relatives and friends began to worry. So, their families and friends gathered and formed a team of volunteers to go and search for them, a search team. After a few days of searching in these mountainous areas, they finally managed to find their tent. The tent was collapsed and covered with a layer of snow, meaning the tent had been in this place for weeks, and this meant that a calamity had befallen the nine trekkers, otherwise, they would not have left their tent here. What was worse was that the tent had been cut with a knife from the inside, meaning the tent had a door or an exit, but for some reason, the trekkers were forced to slit the tent with a knife from the inside to get out. This means they had to escape from something, either something inside the tent or something outside that blocked their exit, forcing them to exit from the other side by slitting the tent.
Footprints Around the Tent and Their Regularity
The search team began searching around the tent, and immediately noticed faint footprints in the snow. It was strange that these footprints remained for all this time, especially with the constant storms and snowfall. But it seems that the presence of these footprints on the mountain slope, meaning the prints were inclined, reduced the snow cover, so some traces remained. What was also strange was that these footprints were organized, and the distances between them were small, indicating that the trekkers' descent from the mountain after leaving the tent was calm; they were not running or escaping from anything. Someone who is escaping or running would have wider distances between their footprints and their movement would be unorganized, especially since there were nine of them, and their footprints continued together. If they were escaping, we would see their footprints scattered in every direction. These footprints continued down the mountain for a distance of about 500 meters.
Discovery of the First Two Bodies Near the Trees and Their Light Clothing
The search team found footprints around the tent. These footprints led to this path on the mountain slope, meaning the trekkers were descending the mountain. These footprints continued from the tent to the base of the mountain for a distance of about 500 meters, and then disappeared. The ground became flatter, so the snow buried the remaining footprints. But even after the footprints disappeared, the search team continued in the same direction, and at a distance of about 1500 meters from the tent, they reached an area with trees, trees at the beginning of the forest at the base of the mountain. Amidst these trees, they found the remains of a fire; it was clear that the trekkers had tried to bring wood and light a fire to warm themselves in this place. Among these trees, at a short distance from the remains of this fire, they found the first two bodies of the nine trekkers. The two bodies were lightly dressed. The condition in which the bodies were found was absolutely unnatural. Even if it were summer, they would not have worn so few clothes, let alone in a snowstorm at temperatures reaching -30 degrees Celsius, colder than a refrigerator freezer. Of course, it goes without saying that the cause of their death was hypothermia; they froze to death.
Strange Injuries and Wounds on the Frozen Bodies
Besides the freezing, their bodies showed signs of several blows and wounds in different places. One of them had the tip of his nose missing, and another had the skin on his hand pulled away. The condition of the bodies was not as if they had merely frozen, but there were blows and signs of wounds. One of them, Krivonischenko, had a piece of flesh from his hand found in his mouth, meaning he most likely bit himself, so this was an additional thing that made the matter stranger.
Finding the Body of the Expedition Leader Dyatlov and His Injuries
After finding these two bodies, they continued the search and found a new body not far from them, but this body was as if it was heading towards the tent, meaning this person tried to return to the tent again. This body belonged to the expedition leader, Igor Dyatlov, after whom this area would later be named Dyatlov Pass, and this whole case would become famous by his name. The cause of Dyatlov's death was also hypothermia, and signs of wounds and blows were also found on his body. In addition, there was frozen blood on his face. In terms of clothing, he was dressed better than his two friends who were found under the trees, but his clothes were still considered less than usual, especially for the weather they were in. In this weather and amidst this snowstorm, even if you are well-dressed, you would not survive without a fire or a means of warmth. And this is perhaps the reason that made him try to return to the tent, because, as we said, he was found walking towards the tent, climbing the mountain, because the tent had a stove and a heater. So this is the only logical reason that could make him try to return to the tent again.
Discovery of Five Bodies: Two by the Trees and Three on the Mountain Slope
Besides Dyatlov's body, they also found two bodies on this path, the path back to the tent. The first body was one of the girls, and the second body was one of the young men. And the same thing, their bodies had signs of blows and wounds. The girl even had many signs of blows on her face. So now, five bodies, two by the trees, and three along the mountain slope for the people who tried to return to the tent.
Difficulty Finding the Remaining Four Bodies Due to Icy Conditions
These five bodies were not all found sequentially, especially the last two bodies. Of course, authorities and specialized search teams and a large number of people participated in the search, but this is Siberia, a mountainous area in the middle of winter, the snow does not stop, the cold is bitter, and visibility is difficult, so the search operation was not smooth at all. It took weeks to find these five bodies. As for the remaining four bodies, it would take two months, even though they were not far from this place, but they were located in a completely different direction. The remaining four bodies were found in this area, opposite to the direction of the tent.
The Role of the Mansi Tribes in Discovering Bodies Buried Under the Snow
The reason the search teams were late in finding them was that these bodies were buried under four meters of snow. The search teams were not even able to find them. Those who found them were a group of indigenous people living in this area in these mountains, these indigenous people are called the Mansi tribes. It seems that they were the ones who found the place where the remaining four were buried. How did they find them when they were buried under four meters of snow? Perhaps because they are locals and know the nature and shape of the place, so when the snow lessened, they saw that there was something unnatural in this place. Members of these Mansi tribes were the ones who led the search teams to the location of the remaining four bodies. And indeed, search teams came and dug in the place, and after digging four meters into the snow, they found what looked like a snow den in front of them, a hole dug in the snow, and its floor was covered with tree branches, and they found pieces of clothing in this den, some of which were torn, a pair of trousers was cut in half. They also dug more around this den, and found the remaining four bodies.
The Horrific Condition of the Last Four Bodies and Their Fatal Injuries
The bodies were next to each other, and beneath them there was a stream of water flowing down from the mountain, so the bodies were piled on top of this underground and under-snow stream, and the water was flowing. They found these four bodies next to each other and above a slightly underground stream, and there was a den dug in the snow next to them. It seems that they were the ones who dug it to try and shelter from the storm. With the discovery of these four bodies, all nine trekkers' bodies were complete. The problem is that the condition of these last four bodies found was much more violent than the five bodies found before. These four bodies were of three young men and the last girl in the group. The girl was found with her rib cage broken from the right and left, four ribs from the right and six ribs from the left. One of the three young men, who was actually the oldest, the man in his thirties, also had five of his rib cage bones broken on the right side. And another young man was found with his skull broken, a strong fracture on the right side. All of these injuries were declared fatal by the medical autopsy. The fourth young man was not seriously injured like these three, so the cause of his death was hypothermia. Even the three who had fatal injuries were frozen. So the question here is, how did these people sustain these severe injuries? Investigation reports compared their injuries to those resulting from bombs or violent car accidents.
The Mystery of the Missing Body Parts and the Case Classification
So what could have caused these injuries? And the strange injuries don't end here. The girl's eyes, tongue, and lower jaw were missing, as if someone had gouged out her eyes and cut out her tongue and lower jaw and taken them with them. And the same thing, the man in his thirties whose rib cage was broken, his eyes were also missing. Now I think you understand why this case became one of the most famous cases. The amount of strange events in it, and the conditions in which the bodies of the nine trekkers were found, bring the mystery to another level. Is it possible that someone or a creature, for example, killed them or caused their death? The Soviet investigators who took over this case placed at the top of their list of probabilities that this might be a crime, and they began investigating the case as a crime due to the injuries found on the bodies. So they began searching for people who could be suspected of such a crime.
Investigation into Escaped Prisoners and Summoning Yuri Yudin
The Siberian region had harsh detention camps and prisons for the most dangerous criminals and political prisoners; they were placed in these camps amidst the snow and cold and their backs were broken by hard labor. So there was one of these camps not far from the mountain where the nine trekkers died. So the first possibility the investigators considered was that there might have been prisoners who escaped from this camp and encountered the trekkers. So the investigators contacted the administration of this camp and asked them if any prisoners had escaped during the past period, but the answer was no, no prisoners had escaped during that period. The second lead the investigators followed was Yuri Yudin, the tenth member of the group who suffered back pain at the beginning of the trip and returned, leaving his friends. So the investigators summoned him and interrogated him and treated him as a suspect. They had hypothesized that this might be a trick by him, and that he hated his friends and wanted to get rid of them, so he devised a plan to get rid of them in the mountain away from people's eyes. But Yuri explained to them that his return was due to back pain, and that he had actually returned from the beginning of the trip before the mountain events occurred. Of course, during the interrogation, Yuri was tense, meaning his friends were dead and he miraculously survived because he was not with them, and now these investigators suspect him and are pressuring him. This tension made them suspect him more, and they even detained him until they confirmed his innocence. But after that, they were able to confirm that Yuri had indeed returned to his hometown, and that he was with his family during the period his friends were in the mountain, and a number of witnesses confirmed this. So Yuri was removed from the list of suspects.
Yuri Yudin's Observations About Strange Items and His Fears of Government Cover-up
However, the investigators decided to use him and make him help them in the investigation, so they took him to the mountain and made him examine the place, and they also made him see the bodies of his friends at the autopsy doctor, which was certainly a shocking experience for him to see them in this way, especially since he was supposed to be with them. But at least, Yuri gave the investigators a useful observation, which was that some of his friends were wearing clothes belonging to other friends. This might explain the situation in which the first two bodies were found in their underwear, so perhaps these were the first to die, and the others took their clothes to warm themselves with. The investigators continued their investigations, and on the list of suspects were members of the Mansi tribes, the indigenous people who live in the area of these mountains. The Mansi were the ones who helped the search teams find the last four bodies. This was one of the reasons that made the investigators suspect them, especially since the bodies were buried under four meters of snow. It is true that the Mansi certainly know the area better than anyone else, but the question remains puzzling: how did they know they were buried in this particular place? Moreover, it is part of their religious customs that any women other than their own women are forbidden from entering these sacred lands, and there were two girls in the trekkers' group. So the investigators sat down with some of these Mansi individuals and interrogated them, but all the Mansi individuals denied any involvement in the death of the nine trekkers.
Testimonies of Strange Light in the Sky and the Alien Theory
During their interrogations, a strange detail emerged: more than one Mansi person testified that they saw a strange light in the sky on the night the trekkers were believed to have died. They described it as a very bright light with fast movement. From here, one of the many strange theories used to explain the events of the case appears, which is the alien theory. This is just one of the outlandish theories that emerged about this case, and there are many others.
Discovery of Nuclear Radiation and Sudden Closure of the Case
Let's go back to the investigation. Most of the evidence found by investigators and search teams at the mountain and around the bodies was sent to laboratories for examination. One of the strange surprises found was that some of the clothes worn by the trekkers had traces of somewhat strong nuclear radiation. They were not just faint traces. Imagine nuclear radiation, as if they were in a nuclear area. This should have been new evidence pushing investigators to delve deeper into the case, but the surprise was that a short time later, specifically on May 28, 1959, the investigators announced the closure of the case. The investigation lasted only three months, and the Soviet authorities cordoned off the mountain area and prevented anyone from entering it. This, of course, would later increase the intensity of outlandish theories and conspiracy theories in this case. The final investigation report concluded that the case was unsolved, and that the nine trekkers encountered an "unknown natural force" that they were unable to overcome. This is literally the description with which the investigators' report concluded: "an unknown natural force that they were unable to overcome."
Continued Mystery and Different Theories About the Dyatlov Case
From that day until today, approximately 65 years have passed. During these 65 years, this case has continued to gain fame and endless theories and analyses have emerged. This has increased with the advent of the internet age. The case became more famous, and the theories increased. Some are outlandish theories, some are conspiracy theories, and some are scientific theories. We will not delve into the very outlandish theories such as aliens, but we will see some supernatural theories and some conspiracy theories, and we will see scientific theories. The theories we will focus on will be the more logical ones, even if not entirely logical, most of them will be at least logical.
Government Conspiracy Theory: Secret Military Experiments and Cover-up
Let's talk about the conspiracy theory. The theory that the Soviet government covered up the case to hide some secrets. Of course, as we said, the events of the case occurred in 1959, and the world was then at the height of the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union. So during that period, the Soviet Union was doing everything they could to be the dominant power in the world. So that period was a period of developing tests and experiments, especially in military aspects. The Soviet Union wanted to get ahead of America. So there were many secret sites where experiments were conducted, whether on weapons or chemical substances or others. Some experiments might be unethical or even brutal. So the conspiracy theory and secret experiments begin from the point of discovering traces of nuclear radiation on some of the trekkers' clothes. Why did their clothes have nuclear radiation? Even when their funeral was held, many of their families and close friends noticed that their bodies had turned orange, and some parts of their bodies had signs of burns, which might be a strong indication of nuclear radiation poisoning.
Strange Light in the Sky and Speculations About a Military Missile
So what is the source of this radiation? Where did it come from? Some families and relatives of the trekkers stated that they were undoubtedly sure that the army, military forces, and the government had a hand in this case, and there was something the army was covering up. Do you remember the light that members of the Mansi tribes said they saw above the mountain? The conspiracy theory says that this light was a missile or a weapon launched from a military base. This missile failed to launch and fell in a place near the mountain and exploded, and perhaps it contained radioactive nuclear materials. So a wave after the explosion covered the area with some nuclear radiation, and at the same time shook the trekkers' tent, causing them panic and they exited the tent. But if you remember, their footprints found outside the tent were organized, meaning they most likely did not exit in panic. Besides this, there is no explanation in this theory for why they slit the tent from the inside to get out. Also, if the area had been covered with nuclear radiation, traces of this radiation would have been found in the place, unless the government had closed off the area and did not allow anyone to check for nuclear radiation. And indeed, the government then cordoned off the area and prevented anyone from entering it for a long time. But was this really to prevent anyone from checking for nuclear radiation in the place? At that time, the use of nuclear energy was in its early stages, so not many people were aware of the negative effects that nuclear radiation could cause.
The Spy Semyon Zolotarev and the Role of the Soviet Government
What intensifies the conspiracy theory in this case is that one of the nine was suspected of being an intelligence spy or a security agent. This person's name was Semyon Zolotarev. This person, whom I mentioned at the beginning of the story as not being a student and being in his thirties, 37 years old. This person was not originally part of this group. This person was literally placed with them by the government at the last minute before the trip started. Because this trip, as I told you, was funded by the university, the university they were studying at. So it was as if they put a monitor on them. It wasn't the university that put him as a monitor on them, but the government that put him. So this man was suspected of being a security agent or an intelligence officer in the KGB (Soviet intelligence). And even when they searched his history, they found that he was a soldier and participated in World War II. So why did the government put such a person with them? Was his presence to prevent them from going to certain areas that the government did not want them to see? Possibly. So even if the government did not have a direct hand in the death of the trekkers, perhaps the government had an interest in covering up this case and not allowing many parties to interfere in it, because this might lead to the exposure of military secrets.
Yuri Yudin Recounts Strange Military Items and His Fears of Government Misleading the Investigation
Even Yuri Yudin, the tenth member of the group who survived because he returned at the beginning of the trip, believes that the government has a hand in the matter or at least wanted to cover up some things. In 2013, before he died, he revealed a secret on his deathbed. He said that when he was helping the investigators categorize the items found around the bodies and at the mountain, he was surprised because he noticed the presence of some items that did not belong to any of them. He noticed military gloves and strange-looking glasses, as well as extra skis. Things he was sure were not with any of them. So where did these items come from? Yuri said on his deathbed that he believes the government staged this whole charade to convince everyone that his friends' deaths were natural, but the real cause of death was the secret experiments that the army was conducting in the area. He doesn't know if this was a deliberate experiment or an unintentional mistake. So this conspiracy theory has some aspects worth considering.
The Stove Theory: An Incident Inside the Tent Explains the Trekkers' Behavior
Now we move on to the stove theory. We talked about the stove they had inside the tent. This stove was used inside the tent for cooking and heating, and the stove was clearly handmade; they made it themselves. So it wasn't a single piece but consisted of parts that could be assembled so they could carry it with them. And it was clear that this stove sometimes had problems. In one of the photos of one of the trekkers wearing a jacket, it's clear that it's burned, and it's highly likely that it burned due to the stove. So we can conclude that the stove was not excellently made, and there were high risks in using it, but they still needed to rely on it. Okay, what does the stove theory say? Did the stove set the tent on fire? Of course not, because if that happened, traces of fire would show in the tent. So the stove theory says that due to an error in connecting the stove chimney pipes or due to a blocked chimney, the smoke, instead of going out of the tent through the chimney, came back inside. So the tent filled with smoke, and when they tried to put out the fire, the smoke most likely increased more and more. And the situation at that moment was certainly chaotic, and it was difficult to open the tent door; they couldn't see anything. So the fastest action was to slit the tent from the inside and get out. This theory explains why they were calm and organized in their movement after they exited the tent. There was nothing alarming around them; the alarm was inside the tent. This theory has only one problem for me, which is why they didn't go back to the tent? Why did they go down the mountain? Perhaps the answer is that they considered their descent safer than staying in a tent with a large tear, but then when they went down, they realized the situation was worse, and that's why some of them tried to return to the tent later.
The Snow Avalanche Theory: The Most Logical Explanation for Injuries and Escape
The last theory, which many believe is the most logical, is the snow avalanche theory. The snow avalanche theory was present from the beginning of the investigations into the case, but there was no evidence of a major avalanche in the area, so this theory was initially ruled out. However, some scientific analyses later considered that the trekkers had dug a flat spot on the mountain slope to pitch their tent, forming a small snow wall on the side of the tent. This snow wall is small, so it should not pose any danger to them. But there is a phenomenon in the winds that pass over such mountains, a type of wind called in English Katabatic Wind, which has no direct Arabic translation, but it describes a type of wind that descends from the top of the mountain along the slope, and due to this descent, its speed is high, at storm speed, so it is a very strong wind and carries snow with it, of course. So some scientific researchers analyzed that this small snow wall that was on the side of the tent accumulated snow on its edge due to these winds, the fast winds descending from the mountain. So this small wall turned into a large wall, and this snow on top was not stable, and the layer beneath it was weak. So what happened was that this snow collapsed on the tent and buried it or buried a large part of it. So it was a snow avalanche, but it was not a large avalanche at the level of the entire mountain, but a small avalanche of the snow wall that was only on the side of the tent.
Consequences of the Small Snow Avalanche: Escaping in Light Clothing
And here, to get out of the tent, the trekkers had to cut it from the inside. And after they got out from under the snow, it is very likely that they were afraid that a large snow avalanche was coming from the top of the mountain, so they decided to go down the mountain and leave their tent. This may also explain the light clothing or the inadequate clothing they wore when they came out of the tent. Their remaining clothes were inside the tent. And here comes a question: trekkers with their experience, they should have known that it was better for them to dig in the snow and reach their tent and take their belongings, and then they could descend the mountain. But also, if they were afraid of an avalanche coming from the top of the mountain, then their decision to descend and leave the tent is logical. And perhaps after they descended a short distance, and noticed that there was no avalanche coming, they might have tried to search for the tent again and could not find it, because most of the tent was buried under the snow and visibility was difficult at that time. So this is a logical analysis and scenario of what happened and explains why they left the tent and came out in clothes that were not sufficient for the weather they were in.
Attempting to Light a Fire and the First Deaths: Taking Clothes from the Deceased
After that, they stayed together until they reached the trees below. There, by the trees, they tried to light a fire. There were traces of some burnt branches and fire, but it was clear that these attempts were not successful as required. This fire was not enough to warm them, or perhaps it even extinguished quickly. There were even traces on some of the trees around the fire as if they tried to climb them, perhaps to bring some drier branches and use them to light the fire. And this may explain some of the wounds and scars on their bodies. After the failure of attempts to light a fire among the trees, this is most likely where the first two of them died. The two people were later found in their underwear, and the reason is most likely that their friends who were still alive decided to take their clothes and benefit from them. It is true that it is sad to take the clothes of your friend who just died frozen in front of you, but the situation was life or death. I mentioned to you that one of these two people who died first had a piece of flesh from his hand found inside his mouth. And most likely he bit this part as he froze, because when you freeze, you lose sensation in your limbs, so perhaps he was trying to hit himself or bite his hand to feel it, but it seems he was in the final stages.
Group Splitting and the Fate of the Four Buried Under the Snow
After that, it seems that the group split into two. The reason for the split is unknown; perhaps it was a difference of opinion. The important thing is that three decided to return to the summit of the mountain to try and search for the tent again, and four decided to go in the other direction and search for a different escape route. The three who decided to return to the summit and search for the tent froze along the way, one after another. As for the remaining four, as we said, their bodies were found under four meters of snow. And as we said, three of these four bodies were in the worst condition: broken rib cages, a broken skull, missing eyes, and a missing tongue and lower jaw as well. So there is no doubt that something violent happened to them.
Snow Collapse in the Watercourse and Explanation of Injuries and Missing Parts
This alone needs a different theory to explain it. And there is a theory that fits the place where these four were found. They tried to dig a den in the snow, and brought tree branches to support this den or cover its floor. It is true that hiding inside the snow would be cold for them, but at least under the snow, the strong winds would not hit them, and they would try to warm each other with their body heat, so perhaps their chances of survival would be greater. But it seems that the spot where they decided to dig their den had a watercourse beneath it, so the snow in this place they were digging did not have enough support beneath it to hold itself, it was under running water. So when they were digging in this place, the snow beneath them collapsed and they fell into the underground watercourse, and large quantities of snow collapsed on top of them. So this fall and the quantities of snow that crushed them from above is the only explanation for the severe injuries and fractures they sustained. Their bodies were found in the watercourse in the place where they were found under the snow at a distance, and this watercourse on which their bodies remained may explain why the eyes of two of them and the tongue and lower jaw of one were missing. These bodies remained in the watercourse for two months until they were found. So a month was enough time for the bodies to begin to decompose. It is true that the harsh weather would reduce the rate of decomposition, but naturally, decomposition would begin inside the bodies, and the faces of the two bodies whose eyes were found missing, and whose tongue and lower jaw were found missing, were on the watercourse and their faces fell into the running water. So with the slow decomposition of the bodies and the running water flowing over their faces, most likely their eyes decomposed and were washed away by the water, and the tongue and lower jaw disappeared in the same way, they began to decompose and were washed away by the water.
The Last Mystery: Radioactive Clothing and Its Explanation
The last mystery that remained and for which we have not given any explanation yet was the clothing with traces of nuclear radiation. These pieces of clothing actually belonged to only two people from the group: Alexander Kolevatov and Lyudmila Dubinina. And it turned out that their explanation was as simple as possible. These two people had just graduated from university and were working in nuclear facilities. In addition, one of them participated in cleaning up the aftermath of the Kyshtym disaster. This Kyshtym disaster is similar to the Chernobyl disaster, but it happened much earlier, in 1957, and is considered the third largest nuclear disaster. Since these two people were working in nuclear facilities, and since one of them participated in the cleanup operations of one of the largest nuclear disasters, it was not surprising that their clothes had traces of nuclear radiation. I believe that with this, we have covered all the logical explanations and theories that might explain the events that happened to the nine trekkers.
The Unified Theory and the Continuation of Eternal Mystery
There is one last theory called the Unified Theory. This theory, as its name suggests, combines the rest of the theories. Meaning it tells you that the events that happened to the trekkers are not necessarily explained by one of the theories that have been put forward. Perhaps several theories occurred together. Perhaps there was an explosion of a missile in a failed military experiment, perhaps this explosion caused a snow avalanche, and perhaps when the trekkers descended the mountain, a bear or some animal attacked them among the trees and they ran away from it. So the bottom line is that the Unified Theory tells you that there is no definitive explanation for what happened, and no matter how accurate and strong the analyses are, they remain just theories. There is no way we will ever know exactly what happened that night. And this is what makes this case one of the most famous and mysterious cases in history.
Discover more captivating stories on The Story Loom:
Source:
-
The Dyatlov Pass Incident occurred in February 1959, involving the deaths of nine experienced hikers from Ural Polytechnic Institute (now Ural Federal University).
Wikipedia – Dyatlov Pass Incident -
The group set off for a skiing expedition in the Ural Mountains, aiming to reach Mount Otorten, a remote peak in northern Sverdlovsk Oblast.
Geography of the Ural Mountains -
The hikers’ bodies were discovered weeks later under mysterious circumstances, sparking decades of theories ranging from avalanches to secret military tests.
BBC – The Dyatlov Pass mystery -
Investigations revealed puzzling injuries: missing eyes, fractured skulls, and burned clothing — yet no signs of struggle or foul play.
History – What happened at Dyatlov Pass? -
Russian authorities reopened the case in 2019, eventually concluding an avalanche as the official cause, although controversy remains.
National Geographic – Avalanche theory revisited