In early February 1959, one of the most terrible tourist tragedies of the Soviet Union occurred in the Northern Urals. 9 young, strong, friendly and experienced tourists were in severe frost without warm clothes, shoes and other equipment. All of them died from hypothermia and injuries. The reason behind these fatal events is still a mystery.
Search for the missing group
In mid-January 1959, a group of nine under the leadership of 23-year-old UPI student Igor Dyatlov went on a hike, which was supposed to last a little less than a month. On February 15, 1959, they did not contact the checkpoint, and at the insistence of the relatives and friends of the tourists a few days later search and rescue groups set off to search for them. On February 26, they discovered a cut tent, in which lay frozen blankets, shoes, outerwear, and personal belongings of the Dyatlovites.
The only strange person in the campaign was the 37-year-old Alexander (aka Semen) Zolotarev. Before the fateful expedition, none of the members of the group knew him. Some researchers see it as the reason for the tragedy on the "Mountain of the Dead".
1.5 km down from the tent under a spreading cedar, an extinguished bonfire and two corpses were found - Yuriy Doroshenko and George (Yuriy) Krivonischenko. On the same day, from the cedar to the tent, the group leader Igor Dyatlov and Zinaid Kolmogorov were found, and on March 5, Rustem Slobodin's corpse was found by search engines. Tourists were stripped and swollen, their faces had an orange tint. As a forensic medical examination established, all five died from hypothermia, i.e. froze.
After 2 months of continuous searches in the creek at a depth of 2 meters under the snow, the bodies of the remaining members of the group were found: Alexander (Semen) Zolotarev, Lyudmila Dubinina, Nikolay Thibault-Brignol and Alexander Kolevatov. The second group of bodies was strikingly different from the bodies found in February-March. Of these, only Kolevaty had no serious injuries. The faces of Dubinina and Zolotarev were disfigured, the eyes were missing, Lyudmila had no tongue, and her hyoid bone was broken. In addition, both pairs of ribs were broken. Thibault-Brignoles and Zolotarev had depressed skull injuries that were not compatible with life. The authorities concluded that tourists became victims of the natural disaster (avalanche, snowstorm), which they could not cope with. The case was closed and kept secret for 25 years.
More questions than answers.
From the very beginning, they made a non-disclosure subscription from relatives and friends of the deceased group, as well as from everyone who took part in the searches. The tragedy has become a legend; debates about this campaign have not subsided for more than 50 years.
In the testimony of several witnesses, there are some kind of fireballs that could cause the death of tourists. However, the authorities did not consider this issue.
Most often asked questions:
- why the authorities were in no hurry to begin the search for the missing group, and then for a long time refused to bury the Dyatlovites in Sverdlovsk, - why the inspection of the scene and the autopsy were carried out so casually, - what did the strange color of the faces of the dead mean, why did they carry out a radiological examination, - where did the last four tourists have such terrible injuries.
And, perhaps, the most important question: what made the brave and experienced tourists cut their homes and jump out into the 30-degree frost without outerwear and shoes.
