A view of the tent as the rescuers found it on Feb. 26, 1959. The tent had been cut open from inside, and most of the skiers had fled in socks or barefoot. Photo taken by soviet authorities at the camp of the Dyatlov Pass incident and annexed to the legal inquest that investigated the deaths. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of the most mystifying mass murders committed by "unknown" source occurred in the Russian northern Ural mountains on the night of February 2, 1959.
Yuri Yudin hugging Lyudmila Dublinina as he prepares to leave the group due to illness, as Igor Dyatlov looks on. Photo taken from a roll of film found at the camp of the Dyatlov Pass incident and annexed to the legal inquest that investigated the deaths. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Known by the local Mansi as the "Mountain of the dead" the Dyatlov Pass proved to be just that for the nine ill fated ski hikers. The hikers were on an expedition to reach Mount Otorten which was about 10 kilometers north of where the team decided to camp.
This particular expedition and route was a very difficult area to traverse, however the hikers were very experienced. However,according to diaries left behind at the scene of the campsite stated that on February 1 difficulties in navigation, snowstorms resulting in poor visibility caused the hikers to go off course in their trek. After realizing their mistake and discovering they were off the intended course, they decided to set up camp on a slope on Kholat Syakhl.
When the group of hikers did not show up at the agreed upon location of Vizhai and no communication was received by February 20th the hikers family pressed to have a search party to locate the lost hikers. On February 26th the search parties discovered the camp site of the hikers and it was at this time that a mystery that lives on today was first discovered.
The campsite revealed glaring oddities almost immediately as the searchers discovered that the hikers were not in the immediate area. The tents that were set up were cut from the inside out and tracks fleeing the tents were found. Searchers followed the hikers tracks to discover the hikers had been subjected to not only various forms of mutilation, but had other injuries that could not have been sustained under most logical circumstances.
Some hikers skin had aged, and some had hair that had gone white. Others sustained internal injuries and crushed ribs that showed no visible external impact, but appeared to be crushed from within. Several theories as to what happened to the hikers were that the Mansi had attacked the hikers for going to their land,however this was quickly dis proven when no footprints of anyone other than the hikers were found in the snow. Radiation burns also was observed,and an examination of some of the hikers clothing did reveal high levels of radiation. It was obvious that the hikers cut their way of of their tents and ran for their lives only to meet a gruesome death.
All nine were not found together, nor were they all found at the same time. Orange orbs were observed in Ivdel and nearby locations during from February to March 1959, by various individual witnesses as well as the meteorology service and the military. This was eventually proven to be launches of R-7 intercontinental missiles by Eugene Buyanov. What makes this interesting is the level of secrecy involving the investigation after the fact. If there is a connection between the missile launches and deaths of the hikers, it could have well been the result of human error, or, as some have suggested, an aggressive alien attack. You decide.
