The mystery surrounding the deaths of nine hikers in Russia's infamous Dyatlov Pass tragedy may finally be resolved 67 years later, as relatives launch a bid to exhume the bodies and reopen the investigation. Family members of the victims are demanding a new criminal inquiry into one of the Soviet Union's most enduring enigmas, calling for modern forensic examinations on the remains of the young adventurers who perished in the northern Urals in 1959.
Renewed Push for Justice
This move threatens to revive decades of conspiracy theories surrounding the Dyatlov Pass incident, which has been attributed to avalanches, secret weapons tests, escaped convicts, UFOs, yetis, and Cold War espionage. The group, led by 23-year-old engineering student Igor Dyatlov, died after mysteriously abandoning their tent on a freezing mountainside. Soviet investigators described the cause as an 'unknown compelling force'. Some victims were found wearing only underwear or socks in temperatures below -20C, while others suffered catastrophic injuries, including fractured skulls and crushed chests. Two bodies were missing eyes, and one was found without a tongue.
Although Russian prosecutors concluded in 2020 that an avalanche caused the deaths, relatives have never accepted this verdict. Lawyer Yevgeny Chernousov, representing Dyatlov's sister Tatyana Perminova and other family members, argues the case should be reopened as a possible group murder investigation.
Demands for Forensic Re-examination
'We want to ensure that a criminal case is opened and an investigation is conducted,' Chernousov told state news agency TASS. He contends that crucial forensic procedures were never performed during the original investigation. Chemical and histological examinations that should have accompanied autopsies on the nine victims are missing from the case file. Fresh testing could determine whether the hikers were exposed to toxic substances or other overlooked causes of death.
Chernousov states that exhumation is necessary to apply modern forensic methods. 'After the criminal case is opened, all nine tourists' bodies will need to be exhumed,' he told Russian outlet URA.RU. 'Then not only chemical examinations but also histological examinations will be conducted. Together, these new studies will help establish the truth.'
Challenging the Original Investigation
The campaign also seeks to challenge the legal basis of the original Soviet investigation. Chernousov claims the 1959 case lacked essential documentation and should not be regarded as a valid criminal inquiry, possibly due to a cover-up by the Soviet secret services. This renewed push comes amid continued fascination with the mystery, which has inspired books, documentaries, films, and countless theories. Among the most controversial is a claim that the group was killed by American reconnaissance aircraft conducting secret Cold War missions, while others suggest Soviet missile tests, military experiments, or classified intelligence operations.
Relatives also want Russian television channels to stop broadcasting unfounded conspiracy theories about the deaths. One such theory involves a yeti, with a 'renowned doctor' claiming that the broken ribs of victims Semen Zolotarev and Lyudmila Dubinina resulted from their chests being squeezed by a large creature. If permission is granted to exhume the victims, it would mark the most dramatic development in the Dyatlov Pass mystery since Russian authorities formally endorsed the avalanche explanation six years ago.
