Case file · High strangeness
Khamar-Daban hiking deaths
On 5 August 1993 six hikers from Petropavl died within hours on a ridge in Buryatia; the only survivor described them bleeding, convulsing and tearing off clothes.
1993 CE · 51.38, 104.35 · status: explained
The account
The group was led by experienced instructor Lyudmila Korovina. Survivor Valentina Utochenko walked out and was found by kayakers on 9 August. The case is called 'Buryatia's Dyatlov Pass', with theories ranging from secret weapons and nerve gas to poison mushrooms and golden root.
The sceptical view
The autopsy in Ulan-Ude found hypothermia (and a heart attack for the leader), with malnutrition as a factor; paradoxical undressing is a known effect of hypothermia.