Гибель тургруппы Дятлова

On the 25th of January, 1959, in the early hours of the morning, a train screeched to a stop at the town of Ivdel (Ивдель), in the northern province of Sverdlovsk Oblast (Свердло́вская о́бласть). 11 Russians (aged between 21 and 38, 9 men, 2 women) disembarked, but their journey had only just begun. They set out to go even further north, by truck and on foot, their goal, a hiking/skiing expedition to Mount Otorten (Гора Отортен). On the 28th of January, after one day of hiking, Yuri Yudin (21), who suffered several minor health problems and a congenital heart defect decided he would abandon the hiking/skiing expedition, due to joint pain, and return home.

Some time between the 1st and 2nd of February, 1959, atop the northern Ural mountains, all nine remaining members of the group lost their lives. The circumstances that led to their deaths, still uncertain and a matter of debate. Even stranger, the state of the groups camp and stranger still, the state of the corpses they left behind.

Все найденные лежали на одной прямой по направлению господствующего ветра и в пределах ложбины” По заключению экспертов палатка была вспорота изнутри ножом несколькими ударами. Эксперты установили, что люди не принимали пищи в течении 6-8 часов. Так же было установлено, что все найденные люди погибли от холода и ветра.

—Информация о походе гр. Дятлова

“All those found were lying on one straight line in the direction of the prevailing wind and within the hollow. According to the experts, the tent was ripped open from the inside with a knife with several blows. The experts found that people did not eat for 6-8 hours. It was also found that all the people found died from cold and wind.”

Все это свидетельствует о том, что момент катастрофы застал группу во время переодевания. Выход из палатки был крайне поспешным, не допускавшим ни минутного промедления. Туристы, имеющие такой опыт как участники группы Дятлова, ясно понимали, что выход из палатки в полураздетом виде, в условиях отсутствия видимости, шквального ветра и низкой температуры – означает гибель.

—Информация о походе гр. Дятлова

“All of this indicates that the moment of the disaster caught the group while changing clothes. The exit from the tent was extremely hasty, not allowing a moment’s delay. Tourists who had such experience as members of the Dyatlov group clearly understood that leaving the tent in a half-naked form, in the absence of visibility, gusty wind and low temperature, means death.”

Следовательно, причиной вынудившей туристов покинуть палатку мог быть только страх перед немедленной смертью. Группа начала отступление вниз по склону организованно, но затем в условиях темноты и метели была разбросана на каменных грядах и люди потеряли связь друг с другом и погибли в буране.

—Информация о походе гр. Дятлова

“Therefore, the reason that forced the tourists to leave the tent could only be the fear of immediate death. The group began to retreat down the slope in an orderly manner, but then, in conditions of darkness and a blizzard, it was scattered on stone ridges and people lost contact with each other and died in the storm.”

The unusual findings surrounding the Dyatlov Pass incident:

• The group’s tent was ripped open from the inside. Suggesting that either the tent opening was inaccessible, and/or the group needed to flee the campsite as quickly as possible. Many suggesting the cause for this being an avalanche, or fears of an impending avalanche.
• All nine members left camp on foot, barely dressed (some bodies discovered in their underwear), abandoned their possessions, most were wearing only socks, or one shoe. Further indicating there must have been an extreme element of urgency present when they fled from their campsite. (Possible paradoxical undressing, irrational hypothermic behavior of removing clothing in response to the burning sensation.)
• The official cause of death for six members of the group (Rustem Vladimirovich Slobodin, Igor Alekseyevich Dyatlov, Georgiy (Yuri) Alexeyevich Krivonischenko, Yuri Nikolayevich Doroshenko, Alexander Sergeyevich Kolevatov and Zinaida Alekseevna Kolmogorova) was stated as hypothermia. But Semyon (Alexander) Alekseevich Zolotaryov cause of death was believed to be severe chest trauma. Lyudmila Alexandrovna Dubinina’s cause of death was believed to be internal bleeding from severe chest trauma. Lastly, Nikolai Vladimirovich Thibeaux-Brignolles’ cause of death determined to be a fatal skull injury. These findings could also align with the aftermath of an avalanche. (Autopsy report of Kolevatov)
• Lyudmila Alexandrovna Dubinina was missing a fragment of her skull, her eyes, her tongue, part of her lips and facial tissue. Semyon (Alexander) Alekseevich Zolotaryov’s eyes were missing. Alexander Sergeyevich Kolevatov’s eyebrows were missing. Many would explain these findings as the work of carrion feeding on the remains.
• Boris Vozrozhdenny stated that the force required to cause the chest injuries suffered by the bodies would have been extremely high, similar to that of a car colliding with a human. No external wounds present suggested these injuries were caused by an exposure to extreme pressure.
• The alleged sightings of ‘bright coloured spheres’ at the time of the incident around the area.
• Eyewitness accounts regarding the state of the bodies looking unusual; sunken eyes, grey hair, brown/yellow/grey skin. Likely due to being unfamiliar with the stages of decomposition and the conditions the remains were exposed to for periods exceeding 24 days left to the elements until their discovery after death (not all remains were discovered at once).
• Detectable levels of radiation were present on one individual’s clothing.
• Burns to skin and hair, some of the party were wearing burnt clothing. (Possibly due to direct exposure to an open flame in a desperate attempt to warm themselves.)

A great many theories have been put forward regarding this unusual incident that took place in the Ural mountains of ’59. Yuri Yudin, who left the expedition due to joint pain held a theory regarding an explosion had killed his friends. That they had stumbled upon a secret military testing ground:

“In 1990, the chief investigator, Lev Ivanov, said in an interview that he had been ordered by senior regional officials to close the case and classify the findings as secret. He said the officials had been worried by reports from multiple eyewitnesses, including the weather service and the military, that “bright flying spheres” had been spotted in the area in February and March 1959. “I suspected at the time and am almost sure now that these bright flying spheres had a direct connection to the group’s death,” Ivanov told Leninsky Put, a small Kazakh newspaper. He retired in Kazakhstan and has since died. The declassified files contain testimony from the leader of a group of adventurers who camped about 50 kilometers south of the skiers on the same night. He said his group saw strange orange spheres floating in the night sky in the direction of Kholat-Syakhl. Ivanov speculated that one skier might have left the tent during the night, seen a sphere and woken up the others with his cries. Ivanov said the sphere might have exploded as they ran toward the forest, killing the four who had serious injuries and cracking Slobodin’s skull. Yudin said he also thought an explosion had killed his friends. He said the level of secrecy surrounding the incident suggests that the group might have inadvertently entered a secret military testing ground. He said the radiation on the clothes supported his theory.”

—The St. Petersburg Times, February 19, 2008

Other theories include the flying orbs of light (UFOs) that were seen in the area, that the burns and unusual injuries, internal traumas, were inflicted by some form of extraterrestrial technology. This narrative also highlights the missing eyes, tongues, eyebrows and lips to make the comparison to the mutilations found among cattle mutilations (also heavily attributed to extraterrestrial or paranormal phenomena, yet still very common carrion feeding behavior).

With the autopsy report of Alexander Sergeyevich Kolevatov concluding a death caused through violence, some choose to interpret that as though there was a possible physical altercation. Or something or someone struck/breached the tent which sparked the chaos. This is somewhat connected to theories surrounding arguments over how many tracks left the tent, some stating there were 8 and one of the individuals was being carried by the others. No other tracks were observed, meaning no large predators or assailants were present at the campsite.

The greatest source of speculation and theories for possible out of the ordinary explanations comes from the level of secrecy and control of information regarding this event by the Russian government. Going as far as reopening a new investigation into the event again in 2019. Eventually presenting its findings yet again in July of 2020, claiming now what it stated back in 1959, an avalanche was the cause for the group to leave and low visibility and exposure to the cold sealed their fate. The deputy head of regional prosecutor’s office, Andrey Kuryakov stating, “It was a heroic struggle. There was no panic. But they had no chance to save themselves under the circumstances.”

“Yudin said the military might have found the tent before the volunteer rescuers. He said he had been asked to identify the owner of every object found at the scene and had failed to find a match for a piece of cloth that looked like it had come from a soldier’s coat, a pair of glasses, a pair of skis and a piece of a ski. Yudin also said he had seen documents that led him to believe that the criminal investigation had been opened on Feb. 6, 14 days before the search team found the tent.”

—The St. Petersburg Times, February 19, 2008

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(Group memorial at the Mikhailovskoe Cemetery in Yekaterinburg, Russia)

Yuri Yefimovich Yudin who left the expedition on the 28th of January, 1959 died on April 27th 2013.