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Downloaded from
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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[dramatic music]

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- [Liam] The Dyatlov Pass
incident

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is the story of the death
of nine student hikers

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in the Ural Mountains.

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It's often referred to as
Russia's greatest mystery.

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In 1959, after failing to report
back,

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nine students were found frozen
to death

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in sub polar conditions.

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- When I was working for
the Moscow Times newspaper

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and I came across the
information

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about the Dyatlov Pass mystery,

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the difference between
all kind of mysteries

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and this particular one,

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is that it's very well
documented.

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There is criminal case.

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There are pictures.

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There are diaries.

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There are still witnesses who
were there, a rescue party.

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So one can still do
investigation.

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- [Liam] Found without
their winter clothes

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miles from their shredded tent

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and with no sign of an
avalanche or natural disasters.

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Yet somehow, they suffered
injuries

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that crushed their bodies

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and horrifically for some,

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their tongues and eyeballs were
missing.

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- It appears that the
officials involved at the time

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of the autopsies basically
tried to sweep this entire thing

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under the rug,

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trying to make it look like
some unfortunate accident.

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- [Liam] Mysterious lights
were seen in the sky

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and the Russian KGB swarmed the
site,

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clouding the whole story
in 60 years of mystery.

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Today, there are two sides to
this case.

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What was reported by the
official
investigators at the time,

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which seems almost willfully
incomplete.

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And then there's the years
of conspiracy theories

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of Soviet government
coverups and military tests.

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- The cover-ups are so
farfetched I think.

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They're a way for people to
explain

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the unexplainable or the
unexplained.

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Whereas the reality is some
cases are just tough to solve.

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- [Liam] The story has
inspired many Russian TV shows

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and documentaries
pedaling armchair theories

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from alien visitors to the
Russian Yeti.

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[dramatic music]

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- [Liam] With so many
conflicting stories,

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I've come to Russia to ask the
question,

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what is the true story
of the Dyatlov Pass?

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[dramatic music]

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I became obsessed with
this story after reading

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the hundreds of bizarre
and unusual theories.

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Military coverups, UFOs

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and even a Russian Yeti have
been blamed.

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But I soon realize the real
story is even more sinister

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than I ever could have imagined.

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Using the hikers' actual
photos and diaries,

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this is what we know so far.

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In January, 1959, a
team of 10 young hikers

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led by group leader, Igor
Dyatlov,

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began the doomed expedition
deep into the Ural Mountains.

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10 days into their journey,

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and the team reaches the
peak known to the locals

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as the Dead Mountain.

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Then, something goes terribly
wrong.

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In the middle of the
night, for reasons unknown,

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the hikers cut their way out of
the tent.

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Tracks showed they fled down the
mountain

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in freezing conditions

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without winter clothes or boots.

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Weeks after they were due to
report back,

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search parties were sent out,
only to uncover the worst.

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They were found more than a mile
away,

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each one suffering inexplicable
injury.

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Ranging from cuts and
bruises to fractured skulls,

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broken ribs and even a missing
tongue.

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The Soviet government closed the
case

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and sealed the records,

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stating only that the
hikers had frozen to death

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for reasons unknown.

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Renewed interest began
more than 30 years later

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after the fall of the Soviet
Union.

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And the original case file
was released to the public.

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Searching through hundreds
of online articles,

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I started to spot some
inconsistencies.

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That's when I found a group of
Russians

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dedicated to uncovering the
truth.

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I reached out to Yuri
Kuntsevitch

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founder of the Dyatlov
Foundation

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in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

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I asked a lot of questions,

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hardly expecting to receive a
reply.

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And then I did.

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[dramatic music]

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What started out as a somewhat
obsessive Google search,

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just got very real.

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I think I've always been
obsessed
with trying to figure out

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why things are the way they are.

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And I don't like, we
don't know, as an answer.

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I've always loved exploring
weird

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and sometimes dangerous
locations.

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And I think that's what brought
me

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to documentary filmmaking
in the first place.

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I started my filmmaking
career 20 years ago

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in television news.

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And I realized pretty early on,

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if you want to get the real
story,

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you have to get out and talk to
people.

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And this story is driving me
crazy.

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I keep watching so many
online videos and podcasts

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all repackaging the same
information.

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But that's not an investigation.

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It's not adding anything new to
the story.

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Before I decide if I should go
to Russia,

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I have someone closer to home
that can help me understand

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the hikers story.

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Svetlana Oss is a Russian
journalist,

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now living in the US.

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She broke what was probably the
first English language story

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on the Dyatlov group for
the Moscow Times in 2007.

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She has since written one of
the most well-researched books

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on the subject.

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And I'm keen to learn more
from her about this case.

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- There is so much behind the
story.

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There is so much information
that need to be considered.

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Some people believe
that aliens killed them.

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Some people believe it was
American spies

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who are responsible.

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There are so many crazy stories

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that it was sex responsible
for some tension

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among the group members and
they just killed each other.

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I think all these
theories are pretty weird.

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- [Liam] The unusual details in
this case

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have given rise to so
many strange theories.

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The first and perhaps most
confusing

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is that the criminal case
appears to have begun

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before the hikers were
even reported missing.

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- This is a criminal case.
I believe you have it.

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It's a new cover.

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- [Liam] Okay.

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- Some people believe that the
very fact

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that we can find six here
says that the authorities

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knew something before, that
they wanted to hide something.

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- [Liam] What's unusual is that
the hikers

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were not due to report back

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until at the very earliest,
the 12th of February.

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So how could a case have been
started

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a week before anyone
would have even suspected

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they were missing?

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For many, this has been one of
the most compelling arguments

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for Soviet government coverup.

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But for me, it's proof
that there's so much

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that's misunderstood about this
case.

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There's another document in the
file,

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which we know from its detail

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was clearly from an
interview conducted in March,

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but it was accidentally
dated the 6th of February.

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And it's this date that
was copied in error

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to the front cover.

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A simple clerical error igniting
years

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of conspiracy theories.

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But the mysteries certainly
don't stop there,

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and others are harder to
explain.

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I'm convinced more than ever

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that if I want to find the
truth, I have to go to Russia.

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I keep telling myself it will be
safe,

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but without knowing what
actually happened to the hikers,

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how can I be sure?

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[dramatic music]

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Having filmed documentaries
around the world,

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I'm used to a certain
amount of the unknown.

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But this is my first time in
Russia,

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and certainly, my first time
without a production team

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or support.

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Unsure how welcomed we would be

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by the Russian government
for investigating this case,

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my cameraman and I have
flown in under the radar

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and told as few people as
possible.

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Easier for us to go unnoticed
perhaps easier to go missing.

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[dramatic music]

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Yuri Kuntsevitch was just a
young boy

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when he attended the funerals
of the hikers in 1959.

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He himself joined the
university's Explorers Club

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and has since been on
many winter expeditions,

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including several to the Dyatlov
Pass.

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He's now at the very center of
this story

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as curator of the Dyatlov
foundation.

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His home office

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has become a real life
treasure trove of documents,

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evidence and personal
belongings from the hikers.

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Some of which are at the
very heart of the mystery.

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Tell me, I know there
is a famous flashlight

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that was found on the tent.

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Is this the flashlight?

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So someone threw it on top of
the scene.

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That's unusual, isn't it?

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The cameras found in the
tent and on Zolotaryov,

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along with several rolls of
film,

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give us some of the best
evidence in the case.

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Yet none are as mysterious
as the famous 34th frame.

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This last picture taken by the
hikers

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is just one of many strange
details that have convinced Yuri

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and his colleagues that
this was no accident.

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But if something scared
them out of the tent,

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why didn't they just return
when the threat had passed?

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Why would they leave behind
their warm clothes and boots?

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Everything they needed to stay
alive.

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[upbeat music]

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- They were a young people
and they were friends.

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They all were students at
Ural Polytechnical University.

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For them going to mountains to
challenge

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their elements was
something really exciting.

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Igor Dyatlov was considered

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to be the most experienced
member of the Explorers Club.

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This guy was kind of not
interested in anything else

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but in what we call
tourism, going to mountains.

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It was like his passion.

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Zina, she had such a bright
personality.

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She was in many expeditions.

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Some people think that Igor
really was involved with Zina,

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which is not true.

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Probably he was into her

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because we know that her
picture was found in his pocket.

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We know by now that she was not
interested

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in Igor romantically

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because she liked another
guy, Yuri Doroshenko.

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We just know that he came
from a very poor family.

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He was a very brave person.

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On one expedition,

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there was a bear approaching the
tent.

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Having nothing in his hands,

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he confronted the bear
and made the bear leave.

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And of course, Zina saw this
and she was really impressed.

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Maybe it was the moment
when she fell in love.

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But this was over by the time
the expedition was scheduled,

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they still were on good terms.

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- [Liam] Much of what we now
know

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from the group's journey comes
from their very own diaries,

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which were found abandoned in
that tent.

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- Lyudmila was experienced in
tourism too.

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She looked like a really shy,
cute girl

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but she was very strong.

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Once she was even shot in her
leg by mistake by some Hunter.

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And she persevered through that.

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Rustem Slobodin was the most
athletic guy in the group.

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He was really well-trained
physically.

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I know that the father of
Rustem just couldn't believe

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00:16:55,221 --> 00:16:58,707
that Rustem couldn't make
through that.

251
00:17:00,743 --> 00:17:04,885
Sasha Kolevatov was a cool guy
among them.

252
00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:08,199
We don't see him often on
pictures.

253
00:17:08,234 --> 00:17:11,685
He was a very private person.

254
00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:13,204
- [Liam] One member of the team

255
00:17:13,239 --> 00:17:16,690
proves to be even more
enigmatic to this day.

256
00:17:16,725 --> 00:17:20,660
37 year old Semyon Zolotaryov
wasn't previously known

257
00:17:20,694 --> 00:17:22,110
to the rest of the group

258
00:17:22,144 --> 00:17:24,629
but he had requested
to join the expedition

259
00:17:24,664 --> 00:17:27,253
just weeks before their
departure.

260
00:17:27,287 --> 00:17:31,084
- [Svetlana] He was working
as instructor of tourism.

261
00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:34,018
He also needed one more
expedition

262
00:17:34,053 --> 00:17:37,953
for some upgrading in his work.

263
00:17:37,987 --> 00:17:40,300
- [Liam] An experienced
outdoorsman and soldier,

264
00:17:40,335 --> 00:17:43,131
Zolotaryov was awarded
medals for his service

265
00:17:43,165 --> 00:17:45,098
in World War II.

266
00:17:45,133 --> 00:17:46,789
And despite the age difference,

267
00:17:46,824 --> 00:17:50,379
it seems Zolotaryov was quickly
accepted into the group.

268
00:17:51,346 --> 00:17:52,933
- [Svetlana] We know that the
students

269
00:17:52,968 --> 00:17:55,143
kind of embraced this guy.

270
00:17:55,177 --> 00:17:58,698
He got really well with
the rest in the group.

271
00:17:59,940 --> 00:18:04,945
Well Thibeaux, he could
make friends easily.

272
00:18:05,222 --> 00:18:10,227
Pretty soon, he has become
inseparable with Zolotaryov.

273
00:18:11,090 --> 00:18:15,715
Thibeaux was pretty mature and
serious guy

274
00:18:15,749 --> 00:18:18,338
despite being very young.

275
00:18:19,650 --> 00:18:23,171
- 23 year-old Yuri
Krivonischenko
was considered the joker

276
00:18:23,205 --> 00:18:24,758
amongst the group.

277
00:18:24,793 --> 00:18:27,106
And his playful antics almost
changed

278
00:18:27,140 --> 00:18:29,660
the entire course of events.

279
00:18:29,694 --> 00:18:33,353
- [Svetlana] They were
awaiting for their next train.

280
00:18:33,388 --> 00:18:37,461
He asked, "Lyuda, can
you give us some money

281
00:18:37,495 --> 00:18:40,153
for going to the cafe?"

282
00:18:40,188 --> 00:18:42,500
She had all the money for the
trip.

283
00:18:42,535 --> 00:18:45,676
And for some reasons she said
no.

284
00:18:57,826 --> 00:19:02,210
- The whole group asked the
officers to let Yuri go,

285
00:19:02,244 --> 00:19:05,385
which was pretty brave of them.

286
00:19:05,420 --> 00:19:08,008
Because at that time in Soviet
Union,

287
00:19:08,043 --> 00:19:10,390
you don't want to mess with
police.

288
00:19:10,425 --> 00:19:14,808
The very fact that the whole
group spoke up for Yuri,

289
00:19:14,843 --> 00:19:18,536
testifies that they were
really, really great friends.

290
00:19:21,815 --> 00:19:23,058
- [Liam] There was a 10th member

291
00:19:23,092 --> 00:19:24,956
of the doomed expedition.

292
00:19:24,991 --> 00:19:27,718
The only one who would return
alive.

293
00:19:29,237 --> 00:19:33,310
- Yuri Yudin is an enigma
person.

294
00:19:33,344 --> 00:19:35,691
Girls trusted him.

295
00:19:35,726 --> 00:19:37,348
He was not cool.

296
00:19:37,383 --> 00:19:39,626
He was not sarcastic.

297
00:19:39,661 --> 00:19:43,423
He was just kind and a good
friend.

298
00:19:44,838 --> 00:19:49,118
Yuri had to quit the trip.

299
00:19:50,706 --> 00:19:55,124
I know that he suffered a
great deal because of this.

300
00:19:55,159 --> 00:20:00,164
He told me, "If I could
ask God only one question,

301
00:20:00,682 --> 00:20:03,547
that would be what
happened to my friends?"

302
00:20:14,005 --> 00:20:16,767
- Dyatlov and the team
are commemorated here

303
00:20:16,801 --> 00:20:18,734
at the Yekaterinburg cemetery.

304
00:20:20,288 --> 00:20:22,290
It's a powerful moment for me.

305
00:20:22,324 --> 00:20:25,120
And a reminder that these
people weren't just some story

306
00:20:25,154 --> 00:20:28,917
on the internet, but were
real people with real lives,

307
00:20:28,951 --> 00:20:30,712
families and friends.

308
00:20:31,644 --> 00:20:33,508
Being here makes me realize

309
00:20:33,542 --> 00:20:36,683
that if I really want to
understand what happened to
them,

310
00:20:36,718 --> 00:20:39,617
I need to understand their
journey.

311
00:20:39,652 --> 00:20:42,689
I have to attempt to
retrace the hikers' steps

312
00:20:42,724 --> 00:20:44,346
to the Dyatlov Pass.

313
00:20:46,969 --> 00:20:50,318
Named after the expedition
leader, Igor Dyatlov,

314
00:20:50,352 --> 00:20:52,975
the Dyatlov Pass is a
dangerous place to reach

315
00:20:53,010 --> 00:20:54,908
in winter even today.

316
00:20:56,185 --> 00:20:58,222
But I found someone willing to
guide me

317
00:20:58,257 --> 00:21:01,052
on what should be an eight day
expedition

318
00:21:01,087 --> 00:21:04,193
to the sub polar region
of the Ural Mountains.

319
00:21:05,125 --> 00:21:08,508
I'm told if anyone can get
me there, it's this man.

320
00:21:10,545 --> 00:21:11,994
- How's the weather looking?

321
00:21:12,823 --> 00:21:14,721
- It's getting better, yeah.

322
00:21:16,792 --> 00:21:17,621
- Yeah.

323
00:21:19,554 --> 00:21:21,383
What's the route, it's a train
up.

324
00:21:23,454 --> 00:21:25,214
- Okay, straight to there.

325
00:21:47,685 --> 00:21:49,342
- When we get to the Pass,

326
00:21:49,377 --> 00:21:52,000
we will stay one night, first
night.

327
00:22:05,220 --> 00:22:07,636
- But if anyone was to get
hurt or anything like that,

328
00:22:07,671 --> 00:22:11,088
what's the plan to get...

329
00:22:11,916 --> 00:22:13,642
- To get out.

330
00:22:17,715 --> 00:22:20,442
- [Interpreter] There is no
exit.

331
00:22:40,048 --> 00:22:42,844
- So, the camera gear
is all pretty much ready

332
00:22:42,878 --> 00:22:47,711
and yeah, tomorrow we go on
our journey to the Dyatlov Pass

333
00:22:47,745 --> 00:22:50,610
and I'm pretty excited
for the adventure of it.

334
00:22:50,645 --> 00:22:52,198
I've got to admit.

335
00:22:52,232 --> 00:22:54,580
But at the same time,
apprehensive.

336
00:22:54,614 --> 00:22:56,098
It's serious undertaking.

337
00:22:56,133 --> 00:22:59,481
I was told that we needed to
upgrade our winter equipment

338
00:22:59,516 --> 00:23:01,690
because some of the stuff I
brought wasn't good enough.

339
00:23:01,725 --> 00:23:04,521
I think there's no
messing around with this.

340
00:23:04,555 --> 00:23:06,730
I mean, this is serious
conditions.

341
00:23:06,764 --> 00:23:09,664
We can't forget that a
number of the hikers died

342
00:23:09,698 --> 00:23:13,322
from hypothermia and that's
something we've really got

343
00:23:13,357 --> 00:23:15,808
to take into consideration.

344
00:23:18,189 --> 00:23:21,469
Tomorrow, the journey begins
to the frozen wilderness

345
00:23:21,503 --> 00:23:24,299
and the very mountain
where the Dyatlov group

346
00:23:24,333 --> 00:23:26,853
spent their last night alive.

347
00:23:30,581 --> 00:23:33,412
[dramatic music]

348
00:23:49,807 --> 00:23:52,396
What do you think might
have happen to them?

349
00:23:53,224 --> 00:23:54,363
- Yeah, your opinion.

350
00:24:15,833 --> 00:24:17,904
- [Liam] Facing increased media
attention,

351
00:24:17,939 --> 00:24:22,495
the prosecutor's office launched
a new investigation in 2018

352
00:24:22,530 --> 00:24:26,050
and its recent conclusion
backed the avalanche theory.

353
00:24:27,155 --> 00:24:29,985
The report stated that
the hikers fled their tent

354
00:24:30,020 --> 00:24:33,506
at the first signs of an
avalanche on Mount
Kholat-Syakhl.

355
00:24:35,266 --> 00:24:37,130
Descending far from the tent

356
00:24:37,165 --> 00:24:39,236
without the winter clothes or
boots,

357
00:24:39,270 --> 00:24:43,274
they subsequently died from
hypothermia and natural events.

358
00:24:44,793 --> 00:24:47,589
The finding seems to
present a simple conclusion

359
00:24:47,624 --> 00:24:51,835
to the case, but for
many, it doesn't hold up.

360
00:24:51,869 --> 00:24:54,182
Vladislav Karelin was a fellow
hiker

361
00:24:54,216 --> 00:24:56,046
and friend of Dyatlov.

362
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,946
He joined the search
efforts to find his friends.

363
00:25:21,105 --> 00:25:24,730
83 year-old Alexsie, was
close friends with the group

364
00:25:24,764 --> 00:25:28,941
and also has serious
doubts about an avalanche.

365
00:25:50,963 --> 00:25:53,862
Perhaps the investigation
photos from the time

366
00:25:53,897 --> 00:25:57,176
explain why the lead
investigator, Lev Ivanov,

367
00:25:57,210 --> 00:25:59,972
felt that such an
avalanche was implausible.

368
00:26:01,007 --> 00:26:03,803
One of the last photos taken by
the hikers

369
00:26:03,838 --> 00:26:07,220
clearly shows ski poles placed
at the front of the tent.

370
00:26:08,325 --> 00:26:12,122
These ski poles seem to have
been unmoved by any avalanche

371
00:26:12,156 --> 00:26:15,228
when the search teams
arrived several weeks later.

372
00:26:16,229 --> 00:26:19,060
[dramatic music]

373
00:26:44,533 --> 00:26:46,397
- [Liam] With little more
than a few hours sleep

374
00:26:46,432 --> 00:26:47,536
on the train,

375
00:26:47,571 --> 00:26:52,369
we retraced the hikers' 50
mile journey to Vizhay by car.

376
00:26:52,403 --> 00:26:54,889
The cramped vehicle seemed
surprisingly capable

377
00:26:54,923 --> 00:26:56,822
on these snow covered roads,

378
00:26:56,856 --> 00:26:58,789
but that's not the case for
everyone.

379
00:26:59,997 --> 00:27:02,344
It strikes me just how important
it is

380
00:27:02,379 --> 00:27:05,485
to help your fellow traveler
in these freezing conditions.

381
00:27:06,625 --> 00:27:07,936
After all, you never know

382
00:27:07,971 --> 00:27:10,042
when it might be your time in
need.

383
00:27:10,974 --> 00:27:14,080
And it's not lost on me
that Lyuda's next diary note

384
00:27:14,115 --> 00:27:17,532
on the very same stretch
of road is an uncanny echo

385
00:27:17,566 --> 00:27:18,844
of our own journey.

386
00:27:39,485 --> 00:27:41,452
- [Liam] Vizhay was the
last official village

387
00:27:41,487 --> 00:27:43,040
on the hikers journey

388
00:27:43,075 --> 00:27:45,146
and gateway to the Ural
Mountains

389
00:27:45,180 --> 00:27:48,080
for many adventurous hikers.

390
00:27:48,114 --> 00:27:50,599
[dogs howling]

391
00:27:50,634 --> 00:27:52,740
The team makes last minute
preparations

392
00:27:52,774 --> 00:27:54,949
for the ambitious journey ahead.

393
00:27:54,983 --> 00:27:58,297
Our group of four will
lead on snowmobile.

394
00:27:58,331 --> 00:28:02,646
A backup team will follow a day
or so behind on Husky sleds.

395
00:28:03,923 --> 00:28:05,235
I'm curious to find out

396
00:28:05,269 --> 00:28:07,755
what the team thinks about the
mystery.

397
00:28:08,825 --> 00:28:09,964
So tell me,

398
00:28:09,998 --> 00:28:12,518
what do you think might have
happened to the Dyatlov team?

399
00:29:01,084 --> 00:29:02,188
- Do you believe

400
00:29:02,223 --> 00:29:04,846
that's something that's possible
that could have happened?

401
00:29:07,504 --> 00:29:10,369
The Mansi are the indigenous
people that have lived

402
00:29:10,403 --> 00:29:14,235
in the Russian Siberian
region for thousands of years.

403
00:29:14,269 --> 00:29:16,927
Some members of a prominent
Mansi family

404
00:29:16,962 --> 00:29:19,965
even offered to help
with the search efforts.

405
00:29:19,999 --> 00:29:22,933
And as possible witnesses
to the strange events,

406
00:29:22,968 --> 00:29:25,591
I'm hoping to encounter
some of the Mansi people

407
00:29:25,625 --> 00:29:26,730
on our journey.

408
00:29:31,045 --> 00:29:33,323
There's no backing out now.

409
00:29:33,357 --> 00:29:36,567
Whatever happened to the hikers
in 1959,

410
00:29:36,602 --> 00:29:39,570
we'll just have to hope
was a one off incident.

411
00:29:41,883 --> 00:29:43,264
- [Narrator] "January 26"

412
00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:53,584
- [Liam] Leaving the last real
town

413
00:29:53,619 --> 00:29:56,242
and any access to emergency
services,

414
00:29:56,277 --> 00:29:58,589
we follow the wide meandering
path

415
00:29:58,624 --> 00:30:00,557
of the frozen Lozva river.

416
00:30:03,042 --> 00:30:06,080
We're traveling 100 miles
on an eight day expedition,

417
00:30:06,114 --> 00:30:08,013
through freezing temperatures

418
00:30:08,047 --> 00:30:11,913
and dangerous conditions
to reach the Dyatlov Pass.

419
00:30:15,572 --> 00:30:16,953
The biting cold reminds me

420
00:30:16,987 --> 00:30:19,472
that no one really knows what
happened

421
00:30:19,507 --> 00:30:21,440
to the hikers that night.

422
00:30:21,474 --> 00:30:23,545
At a place called Mount
Kholat-Syakhl

423
00:30:24,650 --> 00:30:27,411
or in English, the Dead
Mountain.

424
00:30:34,591 --> 00:30:36,420
Four days into their journey,

425
00:30:36,455 --> 00:30:38,664
and the group reached a small
logging camp

426
00:30:38,698 --> 00:30:40,873
called Settlement 41.

427
00:30:40,908 --> 00:30:42,979
These hardworking men of the
Urals

428
00:30:43,013 --> 00:30:46,637
may have been among the last
people to see the hikers alive.

429
00:31:01,135 --> 00:31:03,413
- [Liam] The following
day, the team negotiated

430
00:31:03,447 --> 00:31:06,899
with one of the locals to take
their packs by horse and cart

431
00:31:06,934 --> 00:31:09,453
for the next leg of their
journey.

432
00:31:09,488 --> 00:31:11,352
But even without the heavy
packs,

433
00:31:11,386 --> 00:31:14,631
it took the team seven
hours of tough ski hiking

434
00:31:14,665 --> 00:31:17,013
to arrive at this derelict
settlement.

435
00:31:18,083 --> 00:31:20,188
Abandoned seven years earlier,

436
00:31:20,223 --> 00:31:23,398
it was one of Russia's infamous
gulags.

437
00:31:23,433 --> 00:31:25,849
A forced labor camp for
criminals.

438
00:31:27,264 --> 00:31:28,956
Undeterred by its past,

439
00:31:28,990 --> 00:31:31,855
the team found one hut still
intact enough

440
00:31:31,890 --> 00:31:33,995
to provide modest shelter for
the night.

441
00:31:36,791 --> 00:31:40,553
But for Yuri Yudin, the cold
weather and arduous journey

442
00:31:40,588 --> 00:31:44,419
had flared up his back pain,
forcing him to make a decision

443
00:31:44,454 --> 00:31:46,732
that would profoundly affect his
fate.

444
00:31:59,987 --> 00:32:02,955
- [Liam] Yuri said an emotional
goodbye to his friends,

445
00:32:02,990 --> 00:32:05,302
looking forward to seeing them
again soon.

446
00:32:06,372 --> 00:32:08,685
Oblivious to the events that
would unfold

447
00:32:08,719 --> 00:32:10,652
in just three short days.

448
00:32:12,137 --> 00:32:16,210
Yuri died in 2013, age 75,

449
00:32:16,244 --> 00:32:19,040
never knowing what really
happened that tragic night.

450
00:32:20,386 --> 00:32:24,287
At his request, he was buried
in Yekaterinburg Cemetery,

451
00:32:24,321 --> 00:32:28,049
next to his friends, reunited at
last.

452
00:32:29,292 --> 00:32:32,019
[dramatic music]

453
00:32:36,955 --> 00:32:39,233
Our expeditions in the Dyatlov
Pass

454
00:32:39,267 --> 00:32:41,545
was about to face it's own
challenges.

455
00:32:44,790 --> 00:32:47,344
We reach a small frozen river
outlet

456
00:32:47,379 --> 00:32:48,759
that has partially thawed.

457
00:32:52,246 --> 00:32:53,454
Worryingly, all around,

458
00:32:53,488 --> 00:32:55,904
I hear the surface ice
cracking beneath us.

459
00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,501
Thankfully, we reached safety
and a well earned rest.

460
00:33:30,422 --> 00:33:32,527
- [Liam] It seems the
group had no indication

461
00:33:32,562 --> 00:33:36,635
that in just three short
days, disaster would strike.

462
00:33:47,508 --> 00:33:50,718
It may be hard to imagine
that people would live here

463
00:33:50,752 --> 00:33:54,515
but the Mansi and Khanty peoples
of Northern Western Siberia

464
00:33:54,549 --> 00:33:57,794
have called this area home
for thousands of years.

465
00:34:00,107 --> 00:34:02,661
These indigenous people
traditionally survive

466
00:34:02,695 --> 00:34:06,078
through fishing, hunting
and herding reindeer.

467
00:34:06,113 --> 00:34:08,908
Much of this way of life remains
today.

468
00:34:10,358 --> 00:34:12,257
Since the 13th century,

469
00:34:12,291 --> 00:34:15,087
the two separate groups
of Mansi and Khanty people

470
00:34:15,122 --> 00:34:18,435
were often united in fiercely
defending their lands

471
00:34:18,470 --> 00:34:20,472
against the invading Russians.

472
00:34:21,749 --> 00:34:24,303
But by the time of Soviet era
Russia,

473
00:34:24,338 --> 00:34:27,099
the indigenous way of
life suffered greatly

474
00:34:27,134 --> 00:34:28,756
as their lands were taken

475
00:34:28,790 --> 00:34:30,447
and their numbers diminished.

476
00:34:32,208 --> 00:34:35,797
Their shamans and even folk
customs were persecuted.

477
00:34:35,832 --> 00:34:37,523
So it was not unreasonable

478
00:34:37,558 --> 00:34:40,216
that some of the Mansi
and Khanty populations

479
00:34:40,250 --> 00:34:42,149
had a distrust and resentment

480
00:34:42,183 --> 00:34:44,220
towards the Soviet Russians.

481
00:34:46,877 --> 00:34:48,914
Dyatlov and his team however,

482
00:34:48,948 --> 00:34:51,917
were greatly intrigued by
these indigenous people.

483
00:34:51,951 --> 00:34:53,643
And we're excited to learn more

484
00:34:53,677 --> 00:34:55,610
of their language and customs.

485
00:35:19,634 --> 00:35:21,326
- [Liam] We arrive at a Mansi
village,

486
00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:25,088
some 25 miles away from the
Dyatlov Pass.

487
00:35:25,123 --> 00:35:27,815
And I'm keen to find out
what the villages remember

488
00:35:27,849 --> 00:35:29,334
about the incident.

489
00:36:01,642 --> 00:36:04,852
This woman's father even
joined the rescue team.

490
00:36:04,886 --> 00:36:05,887
Do you like living here?

491
00:36:09,615 --> 00:36:10,858
It's very cold though.

492
00:36:13,723 --> 00:36:16,312
We're making a film
about the Dyatlov team,

493
00:36:16,346 --> 00:36:17,520
has she heard of them?

494
00:36:40,198 --> 00:36:43,684
Several Mansi, well known
and respected by officials

495
00:36:43,718 --> 00:36:47,619
were hired as experts to help
trace the missing hikers.

496
00:36:48,516 --> 00:36:51,174
But as the only inhabitants of
the area,

497
00:36:51,209 --> 00:36:54,350
there was still an eye of
suspicion on the local people.

498
00:36:55,730 --> 00:36:59,355
As early theories emerged,
investigators were interested

499
00:36:59,389 --> 00:37:02,047
in a rumor that the
hikers may have stumbled

500
00:37:02,081 --> 00:37:04,187
onto a sacred Mansi site

501
00:37:04,222 --> 00:37:07,086
and paid a heavy price for their
trespass.

502
00:37:08,295 --> 00:37:10,711
And when the hikers tent was
discovered,

503
00:37:10,745 --> 00:37:14,266
it was the strange cut marks
that thrust further suspicion

504
00:37:14,301 --> 00:37:15,681
on the Mansi people.

505
00:37:16,544 --> 00:37:19,340
- [Narrator] Criminal
prosecutor Lev Ivanov.

506
00:37:19,375 --> 00:37:20,548
"It was established,

507
00:37:20,583 --> 00:37:22,861
the group suddenly left the tent

508
00:37:22,895 --> 00:37:25,139
and there is a reason
to believe that the tent

509
00:37:25,173 --> 00:37:26,727
was cut by someone.

510
00:37:26,761 --> 00:37:30,455
Establishing if the tent
was cut or torn apart

511
00:37:30,489 --> 00:37:32,250
is essential to the case."

512
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:37,496
- We know that the first
theory of Ivanov was murder.

513
00:37:37,531 --> 00:37:41,189
He later said that the
students could be scared

514
00:37:41,224 --> 00:37:46,229
or forced off the tent only
by the group of armed people,

515
00:37:47,886 --> 00:37:50,958
at least nine of them should be
there.

516
00:37:50,992 --> 00:37:53,512
As the forensic investigation
continued,

517
00:37:53,547 --> 00:37:56,998
members of a nearby Mansi
family, the Bakhtiyarovs,

518
00:37:57,033 --> 00:38:00,588
were summoned for questioning
about their sacred practices.

519
00:38:20,367 --> 00:38:22,610
- [Liam] However, when the
forensic report

520
00:38:22,645 --> 00:38:26,856
on the tent came in, it
revealed a shocking discovery.

521
00:38:26,890 --> 00:38:29,065
It was indeed cut by a blade,

522
00:38:29,099 --> 00:38:31,654
but astonishingly, the
report said it was cut

523
00:38:31,688 --> 00:38:33,241
from the inside.

524
00:38:34,104 --> 00:38:36,969
The experts now believe
the panicked tourists

525
00:38:37,004 --> 00:38:39,420
cut their own way out of the
tent.

526
00:38:39,455 --> 00:38:40,594
It was then unlikely

527
00:38:40,628 --> 00:38:44,356
that anyone was attacking
them from the outside.

528
00:38:44,391 --> 00:38:47,359
So the investigation into
the local Mansi people

529
00:38:47,394 --> 00:38:48,429
was dropped.

530
00:38:49,603 --> 00:38:52,295
Lev Ivanov and his team were now
left

531
00:38:52,330 --> 00:38:54,746
with more questions than
answers.

532
00:38:54,780 --> 00:38:57,576
Just what were the hikers
fleeing from?

533
00:39:06,033 --> 00:39:08,829
Our journey has taken
us deep into the Urals,

534
00:39:08,863 --> 00:39:12,039
many miles away from the nearest
town.

535
00:39:14,455 --> 00:39:16,975
Home for the night will
be the hunting cabin

536
00:39:17,009 --> 00:39:19,460
owned by the Mansi we met
earlier today.

537
00:39:20,358 --> 00:39:22,981
We settle down for the
night on the hard floor

538
00:39:23,015 --> 00:39:25,915
and I'm thankful for the
warmth of this cabin.

539
00:39:25,949 --> 00:39:30,057
60 years ago, the Dyatlov
team didn't have this luxury

540
00:39:30,091 --> 00:39:33,060
as they recorded their
penultimate diary entry.

541
00:40:07,750 --> 00:40:11,374
- [Liam] Today, we make the
journey to the Dyatlov Pass.

542
00:40:11,409 --> 00:40:14,239
But of course, nothing is
guaranteed in the mountains.

543
00:40:28,115 --> 00:40:29,599
- [Liam] So it could be quite
different?

544
00:40:34,777 --> 00:40:37,780
- How difficult is the journey
today?

545
00:40:43,855 --> 00:40:45,857
- We might fall off today?

546
00:40:52,519 --> 00:40:54,279
- What started out as a little
more

547
00:40:54,313 --> 00:40:57,662
than a Google search has led
me halfway around the world.

548
00:40:59,595 --> 00:41:02,356
Exploring this desolate and
beautiful land

549
00:41:02,390 --> 00:41:05,083
so far removed from my modern
day life,

550
00:41:05,117 --> 00:41:07,637
brings me closer to Dyatlov and
his team

551
00:41:07,672 --> 00:41:09,467
than I ever thought possible.

552
00:41:10,433 --> 00:41:13,229
I'm beginning to understand
why they came here.

553
00:41:13,263 --> 00:41:15,714
To challenge themselves
physically,

554
00:41:15,749 --> 00:41:18,096
to overcome the hardships,

555
00:41:18,130 --> 00:41:20,478
and to explore the unknown.

556
00:41:28,071 --> 00:41:31,316
Frustratingly, we've come
as far as we can today.

557
00:41:31,350 --> 00:41:34,561
The fresh snow is too deep
and soft for our snowmobiles.

558
00:41:38,703 --> 00:41:40,463
So we're about a kilometer away

559
00:41:40,498 --> 00:41:43,535
from the Dyatlov Pass tent site.

560
00:41:44,778 --> 00:41:46,814
We couldn't take the
snowmobiles any closer

561
00:41:46,849 --> 00:41:51,785
because this fresh snow,
it's very sloping track.

562
00:41:51,819 --> 00:41:55,374
And these are just too
heavy for the snowmobiles.

563
00:41:55,409 --> 00:41:57,722
So we're gonna make a
base camp here tonight

564
00:41:57,756 --> 00:42:01,208
and we can make the rest of
the way on the snowmobiles

565
00:42:01,242 --> 00:42:02,347
without the trolleys.

566
00:42:03,486 --> 00:42:05,868
Hard work.

567
00:42:16,326 --> 00:42:18,018
As we settle in for the night,

568
00:42:18,052 --> 00:42:19,744
the team reminds me of perhaps

569
00:42:19,778 --> 00:42:21,642
one of the more bizarre theories

570
00:42:21,677 --> 00:42:24,334
that gained sensationalist
attention.

571
00:42:24,369 --> 00:42:25,784
- Go to forest.

572
00:42:27,648 --> 00:42:28,960
- [Liam] The Russian Yeti.

573
00:42:30,168 --> 00:42:33,240
The hikers created a peculiar
document in the style

574
00:42:33,274 --> 00:42:37,831
of a newspaper front page
called the Evening Otorten.

575
00:42:37,865 --> 00:42:41,144
A transcribed copy was
included in the case files.

576
00:42:41,179 --> 00:42:44,216
And one headline caused
a greater sensation

577
00:42:44,251 --> 00:42:47,219
than the hikers could have ever
imagined.

578
00:42:47,254 --> 00:42:48,393
- [Narrator] "In the recent
years,

579
00:42:48,427 --> 00:42:52,570
there has been a heated debate
about the existence of Yeti.

580
00:42:52,604 --> 00:42:54,261
According to the recent reports,

581
00:42:54,295 --> 00:42:59,369
Yeti lives in the Northern
Urals near Otorten mountain."

582
00:42:59,404 --> 00:43:01,717
- [Liam] And with a
few out of focus photos

583
00:43:01,751 --> 00:43:04,720
on the team's camera, a legend
was born.

584
00:43:06,169 --> 00:43:09,000
- With this particular case for
Yeti,

585
00:43:09,034 --> 00:43:14,039
it's all about
misinterpretations
of the cultural thing.

586
00:43:16,628 --> 00:43:20,011
It was entirely humoristic.

587
00:43:20,045 --> 00:43:23,117
It was about making fun of each
other.

588
00:43:23,152 --> 00:43:24,878
And it's about picture.

589
00:43:24,912 --> 00:43:28,571
If you look through all
the pictures in this role,

590
00:43:28,606 --> 00:43:33,265
all the film, it's obvious
that this blurred picture

591
00:43:33,300 --> 00:43:37,028
of the last one is one of
the many in their roll.

592
00:43:40,825 --> 00:43:43,862
- [Liam] As members of the
backup team arrive at base camp,

593
00:43:43,897 --> 00:43:45,623
we settle in for the night,

594
00:43:45,657 --> 00:43:48,626
hopefully free from any wild
beast,

595
00:43:48,660 --> 00:43:51,905
oblivious, to the more
real dangers of the storm

596
00:43:51,939 --> 00:43:53,009
heading our way.

597
00:44:02,156 --> 00:44:04,227
- [Narrator] Diary entry, Igor
Dyatlov.

598
00:44:50,584 --> 00:44:51,723
- [Liam] Dyatlov's word,

599
00:44:51,758 --> 00:44:54,105
would be the very last left by
the group.

600
00:44:55,106 --> 00:44:58,730
His diary seems to foreshadow
the terrible events to come.

601
00:45:00,456 --> 00:45:02,941
The following day, the
team left a cache of food

602
00:45:02,976 --> 00:45:06,462
and equipment for their return
journey to Mount Otorten.

603
00:45:07,912 --> 00:45:09,258
The worsening weather

604
00:45:09,292 --> 00:45:11,467
and deep snow forced them to
build a camp

605
00:45:11,501 --> 00:45:13,780
after traveling only a mile and
a half

606
00:45:13,814 --> 00:45:17,300
on to Mount Kholat-Syakhl,
the Dead Mountain.

607
00:45:18,716 --> 00:45:22,581
Before morning, all nine
friends would be dead.

608
00:45:26,275 --> 00:45:30,520
- When the group failed to
come back to Yekaterinburg

609
00:45:30,555 --> 00:45:35,560
on the 12th of February, no
one was immediately alarmed.

610
00:45:36,285 --> 00:45:41,255
The first person who was
alarmed was Rimma Kolevatov

611
00:45:41,290 --> 00:45:43,119
the sister of Sasha Kolevatov.

612
00:45:43,154 --> 00:45:45,501
And she started to make
telephone calls

613
00:45:45,535 --> 00:45:49,712
to the Explorers Clubs, to the
university.

614
00:45:50,609 --> 00:45:52,991
- [Liam] It wasn't until
February 21st,

615
00:45:53,026 --> 00:45:55,822
over a week after the hikers
were due to have sent word

616
00:45:55,856 --> 00:45:57,064
of their return,

617
00:45:57,099 --> 00:46:00,688
that the first teams of
search parties were deployed.

618
00:46:00,723 --> 00:46:02,449
However, with only a rough idea

619
00:46:02,483 --> 00:46:04,623
of the team's expected location,

620
00:46:04,658 --> 00:46:07,316
it would prove to be a difficult
task.

621
00:46:07,350 --> 00:46:09,836
The search teams comprised
of professionals,

622
00:46:09,870 --> 00:46:12,183
military and fellow student
members

623
00:46:12,217 --> 00:46:15,255
of the university's Explorers
Club.

624
00:46:15,289 --> 00:46:18,914
For those friends, this
was still a rescue mission.

625
00:46:20,363 --> 00:46:22,780
Evgeniy was a member
of another hiking team

626
00:46:22,814 --> 00:46:24,678
in a similar area.

627
00:46:24,712 --> 00:46:27,474
His and Dyatlov's teams
were expecting to connect

628
00:46:27,508 --> 00:46:29,200
on their return journey.

629
00:46:50,808 --> 00:46:53,845
An aerial search was conducted
along with multiple teams

630
00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:56,468
on the ground, and it
would take several days

631
00:46:56,503 --> 00:47:00,127
before the rescue has
got their first clue.

632
00:47:00,162 --> 00:47:02,543
The hikers partially snow
covered tent.

633
00:47:04,235 --> 00:47:07,617
Officially, the tent was
found on February the 26th

634
00:47:07,652 --> 00:47:10,413
by fellow student hikers, Boris
Slobstov

635
00:47:10,448 --> 00:47:11,483
and Mikhail Sharavin.

636
00:47:12,381 --> 00:47:15,039
They were accompanied by
a local forestry worker,

637
00:47:15,073 --> 00:47:19,112
Ivan Pashin, who lived and
worked alongside the Mansi
people

638
00:47:19,146 --> 00:47:20,147
in the region.

639
00:47:21,045 --> 00:47:24,427
However, Pashin later
stated in his testimony.

640
00:47:44,965 --> 00:47:46,415
- [Liam] This statement was
backed up

641
00:47:46,449 --> 00:47:49,383
by his friend and fellow
search team member, Cheglakov.

642
00:47:58,254 --> 00:47:59,773
- [Liam] It's incredible to me

643
00:47:59,807 --> 00:48:02,051
that these two men did not look
inside

644
00:48:02,086 --> 00:48:06,469
for any signs of the hikers or
perhaps even more incredible,

645
00:48:06,504 --> 00:48:09,887
that they didn't report such
a huge finding right away.

646
00:48:10,749 --> 00:48:13,028
Officially, it would take two
more days

647
00:48:13,062 --> 00:48:15,030
of aerial and ground searches

648
00:48:15,064 --> 00:48:18,585
before Slobstov and Sharavin
accompanied by Pashin,

649
00:48:18,619 --> 00:48:21,553
spotted the tent on Mount
Kholat-Syakhl.

650
00:48:21,588 --> 00:48:23,210
As they ascended the mountain,

651
00:48:23,245 --> 00:48:25,730
Pashin refused to go with them.

652
00:48:28,146 --> 00:48:30,217
- For me, it speaks for the fact

653
00:48:30,252 --> 00:48:34,946
that he has already heard
something from the Mansi.

654
00:48:34,981 --> 00:48:37,742
That something happened on the
slope

655
00:48:37,776 --> 00:48:41,884
but he felt like it's better
to stay away from this matter.

656
00:48:42,885 --> 00:48:45,439
They had also their traditions

657
00:48:45,474 --> 00:48:48,960
and they didn't want
anyone to mess with that.

658
00:48:48,995 --> 00:48:50,997
- [Liam] As they approached
their friend's tent,

659
00:48:51,031 --> 00:48:54,690
it quickly became apparent
that this was an unusual scene.

660
00:48:55,587 --> 00:48:58,211
Along with the flashlight
found on top of the snow,

661
00:48:58,245 --> 00:49:02,042
what they found left
inside was more worrying.

662
00:49:17,782 --> 00:49:19,577
- [Liam] With no trace of the
hikers,

663
00:49:19,611 --> 00:49:22,925
finding their winter clothes
and boots was unnerving.

664
00:49:23,995 --> 00:49:25,100
The following day,

665
00:49:25,134 --> 00:49:29,000
the search parties focused their
attention on the tent site.

666
00:49:29,035 --> 00:49:30,450
And further down the slope,

667
00:49:30,484 --> 00:49:32,797
the rescuers found their next
clue.

668
00:49:54,853 --> 00:49:56,441
- [Liam] Later stories would
suggest

669
00:49:56,476 --> 00:49:58,167
that the hikers fled in a panic

670
00:49:58,202 --> 00:50:00,135
from some terrifying event.

671
00:50:00,169 --> 00:50:02,654
But the footsteps as seen by
Slobstov

672
00:50:02,689 --> 00:50:04,794
clearly show how the hikers
walked

673
00:50:04,829 --> 00:50:08,177
or marched side by side,
away from the tent.

674
00:50:09,213 --> 00:50:11,836
The searches followed the
partially visible tracks

675
00:50:11,870 --> 00:50:14,494
down the slope where the team
uncovered

676
00:50:14,528 --> 00:50:16,875
their first grisly discovery.

677
00:50:17,704 --> 00:50:20,983
The bodies of Krivonischenko
and Doroshenko

678
00:50:21,018 --> 00:50:22,778
were found under a cedar tree

679
00:50:22,812 --> 00:50:24,849
nearly a mile away from the
tent.

680
00:50:26,092 --> 00:50:27,196
Evgeniy Maslennikov,

681
00:50:27,231 --> 00:50:30,268
head of the university sports
club wrote:

682
00:50:57,019 --> 00:50:58,020
- [Liam] Later that same day,

683
00:50:58,055 --> 00:51:00,678
a thousand feet away from the
cedar tree,

684
00:51:00,712 --> 00:51:03,474
the team made another grim
discovery.

685
00:51:03,508 --> 00:51:07,064
The frozen body of group
leader, Igor Dyatlov.

686
00:51:08,099 --> 00:51:10,688
He had collapsed around a small
birch tree

687
00:51:10,722 --> 00:51:12,379
facing towards the tent,

688
00:51:12,414 --> 00:51:14,933
suggesting that he was
attempting to return.

689
00:51:46,965 --> 00:51:49,175
- [Liam] Finding the
bodies of the four hikers

690
00:51:49,209 --> 00:51:52,143
was a devastating blow
to the rescue party.

691
00:52:18,928 --> 00:52:19,929
In the following days,

692
00:52:19,964 --> 00:52:22,967
the search teams painstakingly
probe the deep snow

693
00:52:23,001 --> 00:52:25,487
for any signs of their comrades.

694
00:52:25,521 --> 00:52:27,592
On March 5th, six long days

695
00:52:27,627 --> 00:52:30,388
after the discovery of
the first four bodies,

696
00:52:30,423 --> 00:52:33,943
the searches uncovered
another, Rustem Slobodin.

697
00:52:35,738 --> 00:52:38,776
He too was found facing in
the direction of the tent,

698
00:52:38,810 --> 00:52:41,986
suggesting he was also trying
to make a desperate return

699
00:52:42,020 --> 00:52:44,195
to shelter and warm clothing.

700
00:52:45,231 --> 00:52:47,509
All five of the hikers found so
far

701
00:52:47,543 --> 00:52:49,649
were flown to Ivdel for autopsy.

702
00:52:50,684 --> 00:52:52,928
The searcher's grim task
continued

703
00:52:52,962 --> 00:52:56,311
and the days turned into
weeks with no new clues

704
00:52:56,345 --> 00:52:59,797
as to where the remaining
four hikers could be.

705
00:53:00,660 --> 00:53:03,214
[gentle music]

706
00:53:10,670 --> 00:53:13,397
In a bizarre parallel
to Dyatlov's journey,

707
00:53:13,431 --> 00:53:15,537
our own expedition has been hit

708
00:53:15,571 --> 00:53:19,023
by a savage blizzard and the
dangerous drop in temperature

709
00:53:19,057 --> 00:53:21,474
on the day we were due
to make it to the Pass.

710
00:54:02,963 --> 00:54:05,690
[dramatic music]

711
00:54:25,710 --> 00:54:27,505
Nature calls the shots out
here

712
00:54:27,540 --> 00:54:29,611
and to try to make to the Pass
today

713
00:54:29,645 --> 00:54:31,889
would be far too dangerous.

714
00:54:38,275 --> 00:54:41,657
The autopsy of the five
hikers was conducted in Ivdel

715
00:54:41,692 --> 00:54:45,247
by forensic medical expert,
Vozrozhdenny.

716
00:54:45,282 --> 00:54:48,319
Doroshenko, Krivonischenko,
Dyatlov,

717
00:54:48,354 --> 00:54:51,046
Kolmogorova and Slobodin,

718
00:54:51,080 --> 00:54:54,014
were all found to have suffered
various cuts and bruises

719
00:54:54,049 --> 00:54:55,395
to the body.

720
00:54:55,430 --> 00:54:59,088
Specific injuries included
bruising cuts and abrasions

721
00:54:59,123 --> 00:55:01,781
to the nose, eyebrows and
cheeks.

722
00:55:02,713 --> 00:55:05,785
Further bruising and abrasions
were found on the knuckles

723
00:55:05,819 --> 00:55:08,097
and the back of the hands.

724
00:55:08,132 --> 00:55:11,100
Yet, under close watch
from the party officials,

725
00:55:11,135 --> 00:55:13,896
Vozrozhdenny concluded
that all of these injuries

726
00:55:13,931 --> 00:55:16,934
were simply as a result of
falling over.

727
00:55:16,968 --> 00:55:19,868
The official cause of death for
all five

728
00:55:19,902 --> 00:55:22,042
was stated as hypothermia.

729
00:55:24,838 --> 00:55:28,601
- Today, if you see a guy, if
you see his upper lip swollen,

730
00:55:28,635 --> 00:55:30,154
a black eye,

731
00:55:30,188 --> 00:55:33,951
and his fists scabbed over.

732
00:55:33,985 --> 00:55:35,642
Do you think that he panicked

733
00:55:35,677 --> 00:55:40,371
and he ran really fast
and he threw himself

734
00:55:40,406 --> 00:55:41,993
against the rocks?

735
00:55:42,028 --> 00:55:45,997
No, your first thought
is there must be a fight.

736
00:55:48,137 --> 00:55:50,381
- [Liam] A rumor spread
that perhaps the group

737
00:55:50,416 --> 00:55:52,245
turned on themselves.

738
00:55:52,279 --> 00:55:55,352
Investigator Ivanov feared
that the party leaders

739
00:55:55,386 --> 00:55:58,907
would use this to cover up the
truth of the investigation.

740
00:55:58,941 --> 00:56:01,634
Something he wasn't
prepared to let happen.

741
00:56:50,061 --> 00:56:52,719
In an effort to divert
the growing attention,

742
00:56:52,754 --> 00:56:55,619
the officials attempted
to quietly bury the hikers

743
00:56:55,653 --> 00:56:59,174
hundreds of miles away
from their home city.

744
00:56:59,208 --> 00:57:01,935
This only fueled conspiracy
theories.

745
00:57:01,970 --> 00:57:04,006
And under mounting public
pressure,

746
00:57:04,041 --> 00:57:07,009
the officials were forced
to return the hikers home.

747
00:57:07,907 --> 00:57:09,149
- Back in the city,

748
00:57:09,184 --> 00:57:13,360
the people try to make
sense of what have happened.

749
00:57:13,395 --> 00:57:17,813
They questioned military
authorities.

750
00:57:17,848 --> 00:57:20,298
Why, how come, what could be?

751
00:57:20,333 --> 00:57:23,129
In the middle of nowhere,
why would they die?

752
00:57:24,475 --> 00:57:27,340
And the funerals, they were just
huge.

753
00:57:27,374 --> 00:57:30,964
Just exactly what the
authority wanted to prevent,

754
00:57:30,999 --> 00:57:32,241
it happened.

755
00:57:32,276 --> 00:57:36,073
There were thousands
and thousands of people

756
00:57:36,107 --> 00:57:38,558
who attended during the funeral.

757
00:57:39,456 --> 00:57:40,595
- [Liam] Those that were there

758
00:57:40,629 --> 00:57:43,287
remember being watched by the
KGB,

759
00:57:43,321 --> 00:57:46,532
stoking fears that the
military were to blame.

760
00:57:46,566 --> 00:57:50,432
Rumors of unusual lights in
the sky, strange photographs

761
00:57:50,467 --> 00:57:53,849
and secret military tests began
to spread.

762
00:57:56,438 --> 00:57:58,923
Vladislav Karelin and his team
were hiking

763
00:57:58,958 --> 00:58:01,857
in the Urals not far from the
Dyatlov Pass

764
00:58:01,892 --> 00:58:04,273
only two weeks after the tragedy

765
00:58:04,308 --> 00:58:08,623
when they themselves witnessed
an unusual celestial event.

766
00:58:47,834 --> 00:58:50,147
Could Karelin sighting prove the
hikers

767
00:58:50,181 --> 00:58:54,358
controversial photo was
in fact a real object.

768
00:59:14,930 --> 00:59:17,174
Given the sightings in 1959,

769
00:59:17,208 --> 00:59:19,832
many involved with the Dyatlov
Foundation,

770
00:59:19,866 --> 00:59:23,939
believe the military rocket
theory is the most plausible.

771
00:59:35,986 --> 00:59:39,368
Yet Karelin's own team
also witnessed these lights

772
00:59:39,403 --> 00:59:41,336
but it certainly didn't scare
them

773
00:59:41,370 --> 00:59:43,649
from fleeing the safety of their
tent.

774
00:59:44,995 --> 00:59:47,653
- Well, I don't believe
there could be a rocket

775
00:59:47,687 --> 00:59:51,311
or military experiment
that injured the hikers.

776
00:59:51,346 --> 00:59:54,107
Well, definitely there was
something going on in the sky

777
00:59:54,142 --> 00:59:56,178
at that period of time.

778
00:59:56,213 --> 00:59:59,734
The event was pretty far from
them

779
00:59:59,768 --> 01:00:02,184
Since they were capable
of taking pictures.

780
01:00:02,219 --> 01:00:06,568
And it lasted at least one, two
minutes.

781
01:00:06,603 --> 01:00:11,159
It means, it was not threatening
to them.

782
01:00:12,367 --> 01:00:15,784
Certainly, the autopsy reports
from the first five hikers

783
01:00:15,819 --> 01:00:19,616
showed no obvious signs of
injury from a missile blast

784
01:00:20,478 --> 01:00:24,137
nor were there any signs of an
explosion or debris reported

785
01:00:24,172 --> 01:00:25,656
by the search teams.

786
01:00:26,968 --> 01:00:29,867
With this frustratingly
conflicting evidence,

787
01:00:29,902 --> 01:00:32,663
the investigators could
only hope that finding

788
01:00:32,698 --> 01:00:36,184
the last four hikers
would unravel the mystery.

789
01:00:39,118 --> 01:00:41,776
[upbeat music]

790
01:00:49,335 --> 01:00:52,752
Three months after the incident
and the melting snows led

791
01:00:52,787 --> 01:00:54,616
to a breakthrough.

792
01:00:54,651 --> 01:00:56,307
Mansi native Kurikov,

793
01:00:56,342 --> 01:00:57,826
spotted some cut branches,

794
01:00:57,861 --> 01:01:00,587
only 150 feet from the cedar
tree

795
01:01:00,622 --> 01:01:03,073
that seemed to form a trail.

796
01:01:03,107 --> 01:01:04,143
Along with his dog,

797
01:01:04,177 --> 01:01:06,317
he discovered the remains of
some clothing

798
01:01:06,352 --> 01:01:08,457
which appeared to be cut by a
knife.

799
01:01:09,424 --> 01:01:12,185
The search team swiftly
focused in on the area

800
01:01:12,220 --> 01:01:13,635
and began to dig.

801
01:01:14,705 --> 01:01:16,949
Buried under more than 10 feet
of snow,

802
01:01:16,983 --> 01:01:18,467
they found a small den.

803
01:01:19,745 --> 01:01:22,713
Cut branches were laid
to make a makeshift floor

804
01:01:22,748 --> 01:01:25,785
but there was no sign of the
hikers.

805
01:01:25,820 --> 01:01:28,719
Fellow student hiker, Vladimir
Askinadzi,

806
01:01:28,754 --> 01:01:30,721
was one of the students tasked

807
01:01:30,756 --> 01:01:34,691
with probing the area
to look for his friends.

808
01:02:08,517 --> 01:02:10,796
Buried 12 feet under the snow,

809
01:02:10,830 --> 01:02:13,626
was the body of Lyudmila
Dubinina.

810
01:02:13,660 --> 01:02:15,697
She was found in a small ravine,

811
01:02:15,732 --> 01:02:18,044
collapsed over a natural ledge.

812
01:02:18,079 --> 01:02:19,597
The three remaining bodies

813
01:02:19,632 --> 01:02:21,530
of Kolevatov, Thibeaux, and
Zolotaryov

814
01:02:22,911 --> 01:02:24,533
were found close to Dubinina.

815
01:02:25,811 --> 01:02:27,467
They lay next to each other,

816
01:02:27,502 --> 01:02:29,331
perhaps in a desperate attempt

817
01:02:29,366 --> 01:02:32,093
to share body warmth
in their final moments.

818
01:02:57,843 --> 01:03:00,500
The bodies were carefully
removed and carried back

819
01:03:00,535 --> 01:03:02,468
to the evacuation point,

820
01:03:02,502 --> 01:03:04,332
but the fears of military tests

821
01:03:04,366 --> 01:03:08,267
and possible radiation
contamination was rife.

822
01:03:08,301 --> 01:03:10,510
The helicopter pilots fearing
the risk

823
01:03:10,545 --> 01:03:12,098
of radiation poisoning,

824
01:03:12,133 --> 01:03:15,446
refused to transport the
bodies until they were placed

825
01:03:15,481 --> 01:03:17,586
in zinc lined cases.

826
01:03:17,621 --> 01:03:20,797
The move suggested that
even senior officials

827
01:03:20,831 --> 01:03:22,591
were growing suspicious.

828
01:03:24,179 --> 01:03:26,733
And the autopsy was about to
reveal

829
01:03:26,768 --> 01:03:29,667
some grim and unexpected
details.

830
01:03:31,428 --> 01:03:33,395
Thibeaux, although found dressed
warmer

831
01:03:33,430 --> 01:03:36,743
than the first five hikers
had suffered a mysterious

832
01:03:36,778 --> 01:03:40,575
and devastating blow to
the right side of his head.

833
01:04:04,081 --> 01:04:05,876
- [Liam] The examiners
found that Kolevatov

834
01:04:05,911 --> 01:04:07,705
was also dressed reasonably well

835
01:04:07,740 --> 01:04:11,364
against the elements with
ski jacket and pants.

836
01:04:11,399 --> 01:04:13,159
However, his boots were missing,

837
01:04:13,194 --> 01:04:16,714
and he too had some unusual
injuries.

838
01:04:27,173 --> 01:04:29,658
- [Liam] The examiner
seemed to make little effort

839
01:04:29,693 --> 01:04:33,007
to better understand the
cause of these injuries.

840
01:04:33,041 --> 01:04:36,769
Officially, he stated that they
died from freezing to death.

841
01:04:36,803 --> 01:04:39,461
Still, the mystery only
deepened.

842
01:04:40,359 --> 01:04:43,880
Zolotaryov, the oldest of
the team was again found

843
01:04:43,914 --> 01:04:47,814
with a basic level of clothing,
under layers, ski pants

844
01:04:47,849 --> 01:04:50,507
and a jacket with the
upper buttons undone.

845
01:04:51,370 --> 01:04:54,511
The examiner noted the
horrific facial decay

846
01:04:54,545 --> 01:04:57,997
presumably from the
stream he was found in.

847
01:04:58,032 --> 01:05:00,931
But it was the unexplained
crushing impact

848
01:05:00,966 --> 01:05:04,555
to Zolotaryov's chest
that was most unusual.

849
01:05:24,886 --> 01:05:26,301
- [Liam] Lyuda wore ski pants

850
01:05:26,336 --> 01:05:29,856
which were badly fire
damaged and two sweaters.

851
01:05:29,891 --> 01:05:31,375
Missing her snow boots,

852
01:05:31,410 --> 01:05:35,517
she had desperately wrapped a
torn sweater around her feet.

853
01:05:35,552 --> 01:05:39,383
She was found lying face down
in a stream of melting snow.

854
01:05:39,418 --> 01:05:41,282
The examiner stated this caused

855
01:05:41,316 --> 01:05:46,218
the horrific decaying facial
tissue and her missing eyes.

856
01:05:46,252 --> 01:05:50,291
Incredibly, he also noted
that her tongue was missing

857
01:05:50,325 --> 01:05:54,191
without any further explanation
as to why.

858
01:05:54,226 --> 01:05:57,746
Shockingly, there was a
similar finding to Zolotaryov.

859
01:05:57,781 --> 01:06:00,853
Lyuda suffered a brutal
impact to her chest,

860
01:06:00,887 --> 01:06:02,406
fracturing multiple ribs

861
01:06:02,441 --> 01:06:06,583
and was powerful enough
to puncture her heart.

862
01:06:26,534 --> 01:06:29,882
- [Liam] The forensic examiner's
confounding conclusions

863
01:06:29,916 --> 01:06:31,988
did little to explain the
tragedy

864
01:06:32,022 --> 01:06:35,163
and only raised more questions.

865
01:06:35,198 --> 01:06:38,615
Lead investigator Ivanov
have had little to work on.

866
01:06:38,649 --> 01:06:41,135
And given the speculation
of military tests,

867
01:06:41,169 --> 01:06:44,103
he ordered the students
clothes to be tested

868
01:06:44,138 --> 01:06:45,553
for radioactivity.

869
01:06:46,416 --> 01:06:49,350
Incredibly, some of
those found in the ravine

870
01:06:49,384 --> 01:06:52,491
showed above normal levels of
radiation.

871
01:06:55,287 --> 01:06:58,462
For Ivanov, there was no
obvious answer in sight.

872
01:06:59,636 --> 01:07:02,225
As the whispers of rocket,
military tests

873
01:07:02,259 --> 01:07:04,365
and now radiation spread,

874
01:07:04,399 --> 01:07:07,609
the investigation was
seemingly out of control.

875
01:07:08,783 --> 01:07:10,681
The Soviet government frustrated

876
01:07:10,716 --> 01:07:13,443
and unable to curb the
rumors that implicated

877
01:07:13,477 --> 01:07:17,619
their own military, summoned
Ivanov back to headquarters

878
01:07:17,654 --> 01:07:20,346
and ordered that the case be
closed.

879
01:07:53,414 --> 01:07:56,382
- No further investigation
was carried out.

880
01:07:56,417 --> 01:07:58,695
The strange circumstances and
injuries

881
01:07:58,729 --> 01:08:00,593
simply left unexplained.

882
01:08:02,664 --> 01:08:04,942
Now, the case files hidden until
the fall

883
01:08:04,977 --> 01:08:09,188
of the Soviet Union will be the
key to uncovering the truth.

884
01:08:15,298 --> 01:08:17,748
[soft music]

885
01:08:28,552 --> 01:08:30,830
We've traveled nearly 100 miles,

886
01:08:30,865 --> 01:08:34,110
and we're just a few miles
from the Dyatlov Pass.

887
01:08:35,180 --> 01:08:38,183
Our expedition was forced
to camp for the night

888
01:08:38,217 --> 01:08:41,082
and take shelter from a brutal
storm.

889
01:08:41,117 --> 01:08:43,257
The worst seems to have passed,

890
01:08:43,291 --> 01:08:44,741
but today's challenge

891
01:08:44,775 --> 01:08:46,984
will be to navigate the deep
snow.

892
01:08:48,503 --> 01:08:50,264
It's snowing quite a lot.

893
01:08:50,298 --> 01:08:52,576
And I know they're concerned
about the safety of us

894
01:08:52,611 --> 01:08:54,889
getting to the Pass

895
01:08:54,923 --> 01:08:57,650
yesterday, I don't think it's
gonna get any easier today.

896
01:08:57,685 --> 01:08:58,996
I'm determined to get there.

897
01:08:59,031 --> 01:09:01,930
So we'll take the snowmobiles
as far as we can go.

898
01:09:01,965 --> 01:09:04,623
And then we'll hike the rest of
the way.

899
01:09:04,657 --> 01:09:08,144
[intense dramatic music]

900
01:09:09,041 --> 01:09:11,837
The heavy snow on the mountain
is making it difficult

901
01:09:11,871 --> 01:09:15,289
for the snowmobiles to
stay upright or avoid rocks

902
01:09:15,323 --> 01:09:18,637
lurking deceptively
just below the surface.

903
01:09:18,671 --> 01:09:22,158
Even a small injury out
here could prove deadly.

904
01:09:30,718 --> 01:09:33,099
This is our first steep
slope we had come up.

905
01:09:33,134 --> 01:09:34,791
It was a bit too steep for two
people.

906
01:09:34,825 --> 01:09:37,000
So we'll walk the rest of the
way.

907
01:09:37,034 --> 01:09:39,209
I think it's gonna be a
lot more of that today.

908
01:09:39,244 --> 01:09:40,900
This is tough conditions.

909
01:09:46,043 --> 01:09:48,149
Leaving the snowmobiles behind,

910
01:09:48,184 --> 01:09:50,393
we make the rest of the journey
on foot.

911
01:09:51,601 --> 01:09:53,913
Traveling a relatively short
distance

912
01:09:53,948 --> 01:09:55,536
of just a couple of miles

913
01:09:55,570 --> 01:09:58,884
in this deep snow is
incredibly slow going.

914
01:10:01,093 --> 01:10:03,716
Finally, through the thickening
skies,

915
01:10:03,751 --> 01:10:06,029
the boot rock comes into view.

916
01:10:07,272 --> 01:10:12,000
This was the landing area for
the search teams back in 1959.

917
01:10:19,249 --> 01:10:22,563
It's truly an incredible
experience for me.

918
01:10:22,597 --> 01:10:25,911
I can hardly believe
I've journeyed this far,

919
01:10:25,945 --> 01:10:28,948
and I'm almost at the very
location

920
01:10:28,983 --> 01:10:30,640
of the Dyatlov Pass incident.

921
01:10:33,850 --> 01:10:36,922
The names of the nine
hikers that died here

922
01:10:36,956 --> 01:10:41,961
on February the 3rd, 1959,
will forever be remembered

923
01:10:42,445 --> 01:10:45,171
in this beautiful yet desolate
place.

924
01:10:49,452 --> 01:10:52,282
We still have a tough walk ahead
of us

925
01:10:52,317 --> 01:10:55,665
but I'm determined to make
it to the actual location

926
01:10:55,699 --> 01:10:58,875
where the Dyatlov group tent was
found.

927
01:10:58,909 --> 01:11:02,361
So we push on into darkening
skies.

928
01:11:04,225 --> 01:11:05,433
My journey has led me

929
01:11:05,468 --> 01:11:09,299
through many incredible
theories on this case.

930
01:11:09,334 --> 01:11:12,509
And perhaps, the most shocking
is about to be revealed.

931
01:11:36,015 --> 01:11:39,156
Sakharova has studied
the documents extensively

932
01:11:39,191 --> 01:11:42,988
and found a number of problems
starting with the tent.

933
01:11:43,022 --> 01:11:45,956
The expert's opinions
at the time suggested

934
01:11:45,991 --> 01:11:50,202
that the tent was cut from
the inside by the hikers.

935
01:11:50,236 --> 01:11:54,240
This fact was instrumental in
leading the investigators away

936
01:11:54,275 --> 01:11:57,174
from any theory that the
hikers may have been attacked.

937
01:12:48,087 --> 01:12:50,400
If the findings from the tent
examination

938
01:12:50,435 --> 01:12:53,023
led the investigators away from
the theory

939
01:12:53,058 --> 01:12:55,371
that the hikers may have been
attacked,

940
01:12:55,405 --> 01:12:58,235
that may have also clouded
their interpretation

941
01:12:58,270 --> 01:12:59,547
of later evidence.

942
01:13:25,746 --> 01:13:27,989
If Sakharova is right,

943
01:13:28,024 --> 01:13:30,406
then the proof that the
hikers were murdered

944
01:13:30,440 --> 01:13:34,030
may well be right here
in the autopsy reports

945
01:13:34,064 --> 01:13:35,963
hidden in plain sight

946
01:13:37,067 --> 01:13:40,208
but I'm going to need some
help to decipher the clues.

947
01:13:47,043 --> 01:13:48,458
- My name is Ken Holmes

948
01:13:48,493 --> 01:13:53,187
and I was in the Marin County
coroner's office for 36 years.

949
01:13:53,221 --> 01:13:56,604
The last 12 of which I
was the elected coroner.

950
01:13:56,639 --> 01:13:59,849
And we handled all the death
investigations that occurred

951
01:13:59,883 --> 01:14:01,160
in the County of Marin.

952
01:14:02,299 --> 01:14:05,441
I believe the autopsies
probably are very thorough

953
01:14:05,475 --> 01:14:08,720
but I would disagree with the
accuracy

954
01:14:08,754 --> 01:14:13,552
of the conclusions for
at least seven of them.

955
01:14:13,587 --> 01:14:18,212
The amount of trauma
absolutely precludes any sort

956
01:14:18,246 --> 01:14:22,665
of accidental fall, at
least from their own height.

957
01:14:22,699 --> 01:14:24,943
Certainly not just
walking along in the snow

958
01:14:24,977 --> 01:14:25,978
and falling down.

959
01:14:26,013 --> 01:14:29,465
It appears that the officials
involved

960
01:14:29,499 --> 01:14:32,122
at the time of the autopsies,

961
01:14:32,157 --> 01:14:35,609
basically tried to sweep this
entire thing under the rug

962
01:14:35,643 --> 01:14:40,372
trying to make it look like
some unfortunate accident.

963
01:14:40,406 --> 01:14:43,237
[dramatic music]

964
01:14:47,931 --> 01:14:49,070
- My name is Mick Fennerty.

965
01:14:49,105 --> 01:14:52,971
I'm retired special agent with
the FBI.

966
01:14:53,005 --> 01:14:57,976
And spent just over 20
years working for the FBI.

967
01:14:58,010 --> 01:15:01,289
And I spent almost 15 years
total

968
01:15:01,324 --> 01:15:03,084
on our evidence response team.

969
01:15:03,119 --> 01:15:04,085
The team responsible

970
01:15:04,120 --> 01:15:08,331
for investigating our
more complex crime scenes.

971
01:15:09,643 --> 01:15:12,266
Many cases are filled with
strange things.

972
01:15:12,300 --> 01:15:15,856
But yeah, this one has several.

973
01:15:15,890 --> 01:15:18,341
If you look at the simplest
explanation,

974
01:15:21,586 --> 01:15:23,070
the principal of Occam's razor

975
01:15:23,104 --> 01:15:25,900
that the most simple answer

976
01:15:25,935 --> 01:15:28,420
is often the most correct
answer.

977
01:15:28,454 --> 01:15:30,629
Hikers were forced out of their
tent.

978
01:15:30,664 --> 01:15:33,149
I mean, you just can't explain

979
01:15:33,183 --> 01:15:35,427
why they would leave their
boots,

980
01:15:36,877 --> 01:15:40,156
unless they were forced out into
the cold.

981
01:15:40,190 --> 01:15:42,745
Why they didn't immediately
return to the tent

982
01:15:42,779 --> 01:15:46,542
knowing that they were
gonna die of exposure

983
01:15:46,576 --> 01:15:48,923
out in the cold without boots.

984
01:15:50,753 --> 01:15:55,447
When you look at the wounds
that were on the hikers,

985
01:15:55,481 --> 01:15:57,829
I'm just not buying the
accidental thing,

986
01:15:58,968 --> 01:16:00,107
this was a homicide.

987
01:16:01,902 --> 01:16:04,732
[dramatic music]

988
01:16:10,427 --> 01:16:13,085
- These new experts have all
suggested

989
01:16:13,120 --> 01:16:17,089
that what happened to
Dyatlov's team was no accident.

990
01:16:17,124 --> 01:16:20,679
So we know that both
Lyudmila and Zolotaryov,

991
01:16:20,714 --> 01:16:24,856
both suffered bone crushing
injuries to the chest.

992
01:16:24,890 --> 01:16:26,512
And given the position of the
bodies,

993
01:16:26,547 --> 01:16:28,791
we know it couldn't have
come from the same impact.

994
01:16:28,825 --> 01:16:33,450
- My thinking is that he was
laying down maybe on his back

995
01:16:34,417 --> 01:16:37,213
and something very, very
heavy dropped across him.

996
01:16:37,247 --> 01:16:40,112
Could have been someone stepping
on him or stomping on him.

997
01:16:40,147 --> 01:16:41,976
Certainly possible.

998
01:16:42,011 --> 01:16:45,014
The interesting thing is
that the rib fractures

999
01:16:45,048 --> 01:16:45,877
are all very high.

1000
01:16:45,911 --> 01:16:48,224
They start right underneath the
collarbone

1001
01:16:48,258 --> 01:16:50,260
and only go about halfway down

1002
01:16:50,295 --> 01:16:53,367
which is not typical of somebody
falling down on their own

1003
01:16:53,401 --> 01:16:56,163
or falling against rocks or a
log.

1004
01:16:56,197 --> 01:16:59,856
So it's more likely that he was
stationary

1005
01:16:59,891 --> 01:17:02,376
and something heavy came down
upon him.

1006
01:17:03,549 --> 01:17:04,723
- [Liam] Lyudmila suffered
similar,

1007
01:17:04,758 --> 01:17:06,449
but more devastating injuries.

1008
01:17:06,483 --> 01:17:07,588
- The rib fractures,

1009
01:17:07,623 --> 01:17:12,351
they were of such impact
that the ribs flexed

1010
01:17:12,386 --> 01:17:16,148
after being broken and
actually punctured the heart.

1011
01:17:17,425 --> 01:17:20,843
That takes an incredible blow.

1012
01:17:20,877 --> 01:17:22,845
And the ones that I have seen

1013
01:17:22,879 --> 01:17:25,123
is either in a motor vehicle
accident

1014
01:17:25,157 --> 01:17:27,125
or a fall from a very high
place,

1015
01:17:27,159 --> 01:17:29,645
and I'm talking about 50 feet.

1016
01:17:29,679 --> 01:17:33,476
She didn't just trip and fall
and go down on her chest,

1017
01:17:33,510 --> 01:17:37,204
something very, very
heavy fell against her.

1018
01:17:37,238 --> 01:17:38,861
Could one person do that?

1019
01:17:38,895 --> 01:17:42,174
Yes, but again, it would
take a pretty hefty person.

1020
01:17:42,209 --> 01:17:43,693
If they were doing it on their
own,

1021
01:17:43,728 --> 01:17:46,385
they would be probably jumping

1022
01:17:46,420 --> 01:17:49,941
or throwing themselves against
her.

1023
01:17:49,975 --> 01:17:53,047
- Lyudmila was missing her
eyeballs and her tongue.

1024
01:17:53,082 --> 01:17:54,221
The autopsy report said

1025
01:17:54,255 --> 01:17:56,775
this was because she was
laying face down in a stream

1026
01:17:56,810 --> 01:17:58,294
underneath the snow.

1027
01:17:58,328 --> 01:18:02,194
Now that may attribute the
soft tissue damage to her eyes

1028
01:18:02,229 --> 01:18:03,920
but the tongue is much bigger
muscle.

1029
01:18:03,955 --> 01:18:06,060
To me, that seems strange.

1030
01:18:23,043 --> 01:18:26,322
Thibeaux was found in the
same stream as these two,

1031
01:18:26,356 --> 01:18:29,532
except he had a massive
fracture to his right temple.

1032
01:18:29,566 --> 01:18:32,984
Even the autopsy report
said it was highly unlikely

1033
01:18:33,018 --> 01:18:35,883
he could have suffered this
injury simply from falling over.

1034
01:18:35,918 --> 01:18:38,092
- He easily could have been
struck.

1035
01:18:38,127 --> 01:18:41,647
The kind of blow that is
described,

1036
01:18:41,682 --> 01:18:44,685
it looks like the head was
unsupported.

1037
01:18:44,720 --> 01:18:47,792
In other words, it wasn't on the
ground

1038
01:18:47,826 --> 01:18:52,348
where something hit his head
so that he couldn't move away.

1039
01:18:52,382 --> 01:18:54,419
- Kolevatov was the
fourth member of the team

1040
01:18:54,453 --> 01:18:56,455
to be found in the same stream.

1041
01:18:56,490 --> 01:18:58,975
Kolevatov actually suffered
a really sizable wound

1042
01:18:59,010 --> 01:19:01,633
behind his ear, which
is really unusual to do

1043
01:19:01,667 --> 01:19:03,911
by accidentally falling over.

1044
01:19:03,946 --> 01:19:06,534
The autopsy report also
noted that his neck

1045
01:19:06,569 --> 01:19:07,950
had been damaged.

1046
01:19:17,062 --> 01:19:20,203
The first to be found by the
cedar tree were Yuri Doroshenko

1047
01:19:20,548 --> 01:19:22,585
and Yuri Krivonischenko.

1048
01:19:22,619 --> 01:19:25,795
Doroshenko had cuts and bruises
to eyes, nose, and lips.

1049
01:19:25,830 --> 01:19:27,348
But he also had bruising and
abrasing

1050
01:19:27,383 --> 01:19:29,799
to the inside of the arms
and into the armpits.

1051
01:19:29,834 --> 01:19:32,215
Krivonischenko, his
injuries included bruising

1052
01:19:32,250 --> 01:19:34,839
to the forehead around
the left temporal bone.

1053
01:19:34,873 --> 01:19:37,669
His knuckles and fingers
were bruised and swollen

1054
01:19:37,703 --> 01:19:40,914
and he also suffered terrible
burn to his left leg.

1055
01:19:40,948 --> 01:19:42,674
For me, what's really
strange about the injuries

1056
01:19:42,708 --> 01:19:44,503
to both Krivonischenko and
Doroshenko

1057
01:19:44,538 --> 01:19:47,506
was the fact that their
injuries actually weren't so bad

1058
01:19:47,541 --> 01:19:49,094
with perhaps the exception of
the burn

1059
01:19:49,129 --> 01:19:50,855
to Krivonischenko's left leg.

1060
01:19:50,889 --> 01:19:53,512
What was actually stopping them
from returning to the tent?

1061
01:19:58,207 --> 01:20:00,174
Rustem Slobodin was found 500
meters

1062
01:20:00,209 --> 01:20:01,797
away from the cedar tree.

1063
01:20:01,831 --> 01:20:04,592
It looked like he was heading
back towards the tent.

1064
01:20:04,627 --> 01:20:06,940
He was found with bruised
knuckles

1065
01:20:06,974 --> 01:20:09,183
as well as bruising to the face
and legs.

1066
01:20:09,218 --> 01:20:13,291
Rustem suffered a massive
fracture to the side of his
skull.

1067
01:20:30,032 --> 01:20:32,103
Rustem was probably knocked
unconscious

1068
01:20:32,137 --> 01:20:34,243
and very near to where he was
found.

1069
01:20:34,277 --> 01:20:37,418
So whatever struck him
was a very different event

1070
01:20:37,453 --> 01:20:38,972
to what happened to the others.

1071
01:20:41,457 --> 01:20:45,461
Zina was found 600 meters
away from the cedar tree.

1072
01:20:45,495 --> 01:20:48,084
She was found with bruising
all around her face.

1073
01:20:48,119 --> 01:20:51,191
Zina also suffered a 30
centimeter long bruise

1074
01:20:51,225 --> 01:20:53,469
across the back and the kidney
area,

1075
01:20:53,503 --> 01:20:55,540
which must've knocked the wind
out of her.

1076
01:20:55,574 --> 01:20:58,439
But also she had bad bruising
across both knuckles.

1077
01:20:58,474 --> 01:21:01,270
Again, was she fighting some
attackers?

1078
01:21:01,304 --> 01:21:04,273
- Well, certainly you
could make a case for that.

1079
01:21:04,307 --> 01:21:05,688
On the other hand,

1080
01:21:05,722 --> 01:21:07,655
you could also make a case

1081
01:21:07,690 --> 01:21:10,313
that over the course of
the three or four days

1082
01:21:10,348 --> 01:21:11,452
before she died,

1083
01:21:11,487 --> 01:21:15,387
she could have done it scraping
against ice accidentally.

1084
01:21:15,422 --> 01:21:19,219
I would say it looks to me
like she was defending herself

1085
01:21:19,253 --> 01:21:21,842
with some of the bruises,

1086
01:21:21,877 --> 01:21:23,913
but then on her knuckles,

1087
01:21:23,948 --> 01:21:26,882
that's not indicative of a
defensive wound

1088
01:21:26,916 --> 01:21:30,713
as much as it is of a
thrusting from her standpoint.

1089
01:21:33,958 --> 01:21:36,615
- Igor Dyatlov was found
lying again in the direction

1090
01:21:36,650 --> 01:21:39,480
of the tent, suggesting that
he too was trying to go back

1091
01:21:39,515 --> 01:21:40,654
for supplies.

1092
01:21:40,688 --> 01:21:42,587
As a respected group leader,

1093
01:21:42,621 --> 01:21:43,691
I don't think for a second

1094
01:21:43,726 --> 01:21:46,246
he wouldn't have done his
best to try and help himself

1095
01:21:46,280 --> 01:21:47,626
and the team.

1096
01:21:47,661 --> 01:21:49,180
The autopsy reports stated

1097
01:21:49,214 --> 01:21:51,044
that he had bruising to his
knuckles.

1098
01:21:51,078 --> 01:21:52,493
But what's most interesting to
me

1099
01:21:52,528 --> 01:21:54,219
was he had bruising and
abrasions

1100
01:21:54,254 --> 01:21:56,428
to both his wrists and ankles

1101
01:21:57,671 --> 01:22:02,331
[Natalia speaking in foreign
language]

1102
01:22:19,796 --> 01:22:21,281
- I have tried and tried and
tried,

1103
01:22:21,315 --> 01:22:23,593
I've spent a great deal
of time trying to come up

1104
01:22:23,628 --> 01:22:28,633
with a scenario that would
cover the variety of injuries,

1105
01:22:28,840 --> 01:22:30,531
the spacing of the people

1106
01:22:30,566 --> 01:22:32,948
and where they're found
and how they're found.

1107
01:22:34,328 --> 01:22:39,057
It's very difficult for me
to come up with any scenario

1108
01:22:39,092 --> 01:22:44,097
other than there must have
been some other people present.

1109
01:22:45,926 --> 01:22:48,756
[dramatic music]

1110
01:22:55,280 --> 01:22:57,386
- [Liam] Like every theory in
this case,

1111
01:22:57,420 --> 01:22:59,871
there always seems to be
one piece of the puzzle

1112
01:22:59,905 --> 01:23:01,597
that just doesn't fit.

1113
01:23:01,631 --> 01:23:05,118
In this case, it's the lights in
the sky.

1114
01:23:05,152 --> 01:23:07,706
Karelin and others still
believe that rockets

1115
01:23:07,741 --> 01:23:09,708
were in some way connected.

1116
01:23:09,743 --> 01:23:13,367
Yet, there's no evidence of
an explosion at the site.

1117
01:23:13,402 --> 01:23:15,576
But could some rockets
have affected the hikers

1118
01:23:15,611 --> 01:23:17,026
in another way?

1119
01:23:32,628 --> 01:23:37,495
- Any volatile gas that could
have affected these people,

1120
01:23:38,737 --> 01:23:43,432
no way to prove it would be
there after such a long time

1121
01:23:43,466 --> 01:23:44,916
in the snow.

1122
01:23:44,950 --> 01:23:47,056
But there didn't seem
to be any description

1123
01:23:47,091 --> 01:23:50,577
from the lungs or the throats

1124
01:23:50,611 --> 01:23:53,304
for the type of injuries
that we see with gas.

1125
01:23:54,270 --> 01:23:57,860
- But even if a chemical had
affected them psychologically,

1126
01:23:57,894 --> 01:24:00,000
that doesn't explain
how they later received

1127
01:24:00,035 --> 01:24:04,108
those violent injuries so
far away from the tent.

1128
01:24:04,142 --> 01:24:06,524
In those conditions, it
could have taken the group

1129
01:24:06,558 --> 01:24:09,768
more than an hour to walk
that distance without skis.

1130
01:24:10,769 --> 01:24:13,772
Why would they walk
relatively calmly for an hour

1131
01:24:13,807 --> 01:24:15,188
and then lose their minds

1132
01:24:15,222 --> 01:24:18,294
and inflict those injuries of
themselves?

1133
01:24:18,329 --> 01:24:19,916
It just doesn't add up.

1134
01:24:21,228 --> 01:24:22,747
I do believe it plausible

1135
01:24:22,781 --> 01:24:25,750
that the Soviets were testing
rockets over the Urals

1136
01:24:25,784 --> 01:24:28,960
at the time, but I just
don't see any evidence

1137
01:24:28,994 --> 01:24:32,550
that it could have directly
affected the group.

1138
01:24:32,584 --> 01:24:36,588
For me, I think the lights
in the sky are red herring.

1139
01:24:36,623 --> 01:24:38,832
They've derailed the case
for more than 60 years

1140
01:24:38,866 --> 01:24:40,696
and they continue to today.

1141
01:24:46,219 --> 01:24:49,049
But there's still another
difficult piece of the puzzle

1142
01:24:49,084 --> 01:24:51,189
that has fueled the
military conspiracy theories

1143
01:24:51,224 --> 01:24:55,918
for more than 60 years,
radiation.

1144
01:24:55,952 --> 01:24:58,507
Two of the four hikers
found in the ravine,

1145
01:24:58,541 --> 01:24:59,956
Lyuda and Kolevatov,

1146
01:24:59,991 --> 01:25:03,477
both wore clothes that tested
positive for radiation.

1147
01:25:04,340 --> 01:25:07,136
For many, this is proof
that some military weapon

1148
01:25:07,171 --> 01:25:08,275
killed the hikers.

1149
01:25:09,276 --> 01:25:12,797
But if that was the case, how
come radiation wasn't found

1150
01:25:12,831 --> 01:25:14,937
on any other member of the team?

1151
01:25:14,971 --> 01:25:17,871
Again, we need to look
for the simplest answer.

1152
01:25:18,768 --> 01:25:20,494
The sweater Lyuda was wearing

1153
01:25:20,529 --> 01:25:22,772
showed the highest levels of
radiation.

1154
01:25:22,807 --> 01:25:26,362
But in fact, this sweater
belonged to Krivonischenko,

1155
01:25:26,397 --> 01:25:29,124
who was found near the cedar
tree.

1156
01:25:29,158 --> 01:25:31,954
It looks like Lyuda may
have taken his sweater

1157
01:25:31,988 --> 01:25:33,197
after his death.

1158
01:25:34,232 --> 01:25:35,889
I've recently found a document

1159
01:25:35,923 --> 01:25:38,443
that shows that
Krivonischenko actually worked

1160
01:25:38,478 --> 01:25:40,480
at a nuclear facility.

1161
01:25:40,514 --> 01:25:42,689
Which only a year and a half
earlier,

1162
01:25:42,723 --> 01:25:45,381
suffered a major nuclear
explosion.

1163
01:25:46,348 --> 01:25:48,764
The Kyshtym disaster was at the
time,

1164
01:25:48,798 --> 01:25:51,215
the world's largest nuclear
disaster.

1165
01:25:51,249 --> 01:25:54,183
And even today, it's the third
largest

1166
01:25:54,218 --> 01:25:56,772
after Fukushima and Chernobyl.

1167
01:25:56,806 --> 01:25:59,844
Incredibly, most of us have
never even heard of it.

1168
01:25:59,878 --> 01:26:02,743
And that's because it was
almost entirely concealed

1169
01:26:02,778 --> 01:26:05,539
by the Soviets at the time.

1170
01:26:05,574 --> 01:26:09,578
In 1957, just a few days
after the explosion,

1171
01:26:09,612 --> 01:26:13,409
hundreds of local villages had
died of radiation poisoning

1172
01:26:13,444 --> 01:26:17,310
and more than 10,000 were
subsequently evacuated.

1173
01:26:18,242 --> 01:26:20,692
Given that this was one
of the world's first

1174
01:26:20,727 --> 01:26:22,729
major nuclear explosions,

1175
01:26:22,763 --> 01:26:25,939
it wouldn't be a surprise
to me that the cleanup team

1176
01:26:25,973 --> 01:26:31,013
including Krivonischenko were
unprepared and unprotected.

1177
01:26:31,047 --> 01:26:34,223
It's likely that he even
suspected his authorities

1178
01:26:34,258 --> 01:26:36,570
of being careless towards their
safety.

1179
01:26:37,571 --> 01:26:40,436
I've recently been sent a copy
of a letter

1180
01:26:40,471 --> 01:26:42,645
written by Krivonischenko
himself

1181
01:26:42,680 --> 01:26:45,959
that seems to express his
frustration.

1182
01:26:56,211 --> 01:26:58,489
- The second positive test for
radiation

1183
01:26:58,523 --> 01:27:00,491
was on Kolevatov's clothes.

1184
01:27:00,525 --> 01:27:03,735
Incredibly, I found that after
graduation,

1185
01:27:03,770 --> 01:27:04,840
he too went to work

1186
01:27:04,874 --> 01:27:08,257
for a secretive nuclear
facility in Moscow.

1187
01:27:08,292 --> 01:27:11,156
It's quite possible that
he either came into contact

1188
01:27:11,191 --> 01:27:13,538
with materials from the Kyshtym
site

1189
01:27:13,573 --> 01:27:16,438
or he may have simply worn
the contaminated sweater

1190
01:27:16,472 --> 01:27:18,060
before giving it to Lyuda.

1191
01:27:19,303 --> 01:27:21,719
For me, the likelihood that the
radiation

1192
01:27:21,753 --> 01:27:23,376
found on the hikers' clothes

1193
01:27:23,410 --> 01:27:25,792
came from an actual nuclear
meltdown

1194
01:27:25,826 --> 01:27:29,692
where we know Krivonischenko
worked is far more likely

1195
01:27:29,727 --> 01:27:31,763
than some experimental weapons
attack.

1196
01:27:35,319 --> 01:27:38,943
So if rockets and radiation
were explainable red herrings.

1197
01:27:38,977 --> 01:27:42,705
Why was the military still
so eager to be involved?

1198
01:27:42,740 --> 01:27:47,745
- All of the secrecy was around
this case.

1199
01:27:48,297 --> 01:27:51,335
Not because there was
some military experiment

1200
01:27:52,750 --> 01:27:55,200
or rocket crash,

1201
01:27:55,235 --> 01:28:00,240
but because Lev Ivanov
reported to his supervisors

1202
01:28:01,552 --> 01:28:06,660
that there were some strange
phenomena in the sky observed.

1203
01:28:06,695 --> 01:28:09,870
They just didn't want any
information out

1204
01:28:09,905 --> 01:28:13,080
before the investigation is
done.

1205
01:28:14,047 --> 01:28:17,188
- [Liam] This was during the
tensions of the Cold War.

1206
01:28:17,222 --> 01:28:19,190
The race for nuclear supremacy

1207
01:28:19,224 --> 01:28:20,709
was of the highest importance.

1208
01:28:21,848 --> 01:28:24,782
We now know that
Krivonischenko and Kolevatov

1209
01:28:24,816 --> 01:28:25,955
had reasonable ways

1210
01:28:25,990 --> 01:28:29,856
in which they could have come
into contact with radiation.

1211
01:28:29,890 --> 01:28:32,617
But importantly, from
the Soviet's position,

1212
01:28:32,652 --> 01:28:35,482
that's two hikers who may have
had access

1213
01:28:35,517 --> 01:28:38,243
to secret information or
materials.

1214
01:29:03,683 --> 01:29:06,617
Finding the last four bodies
must have been a relief

1215
01:29:06,651 --> 01:29:08,170
for the authorities.

1216
01:29:08,204 --> 01:29:12,070
They now knew that the hikers
had not defected as spies.

1217
01:29:12,933 --> 01:29:16,316
But when Ivanov requested
a radiation examination,

1218
01:29:16,351 --> 01:29:19,423
the Soviets were faced
with a new challenge.

1219
01:29:19,457 --> 01:29:22,564
Information about the
nuclear disaster at Kyshtym

1220
01:29:22,598 --> 01:29:24,807
might leak to the public.

1221
01:29:24,842 --> 01:29:26,499
This would have been a massive
blow

1222
01:29:26,533 --> 01:29:28,742
to Russia's nuclear credibility.

1223
01:29:29,605 --> 01:29:32,194
Lev even wrote about his
experiences

1224
01:29:32,228 --> 01:29:35,370
years after the collapse
of the Soviet union

1225
01:29:50,937 --> 01:29:53,180
- The Soviet government had
their answer,

1226
01:29:53,215 --> 01:29:55,251
the hikers had not defected.

1227
01:29:55,286 --> 01:29:56,874
The true cause of the tragedy

1228
01:29:56,908 --> 01:29:58,979
was of little consequences to
them now.

1229
01:29:59,014 --> 01:30:01,361
And the truth about the Dyatlov
Pass

1230
01:30:01,396 --> 01:30:03,190
was buried along with the
hikers.

1231
01:30:07,712 --> 01:30:11,198
[intense dramatic music]

1232
01:30:14,167 --> 01:30:16,756
So if the Soviet
government wasn't involved

1233
01:30:16,790 --> 01:30:19,137
in the hikers' death, who was?

1234
01:30:20,345 --> 01:30:22,762
The Dyatlov Pass is 50 miles
away

1235
01:30:22,796 --> 01:30:25,109
from the nearest village of
Vizhay.

1236
01:30:25,143 --> 01:30:27,732
The only people known to go near
the Pass

1237
01:30:27,767 --> 01:30:30,321
were the indigenous Mansi
people.

1238
01:30:30,355 --> 01:30:34,567
And so, the Mansi were the
original prime suspects.

1239
01:30:47,683 --> 01:30:49,409
- [Liam] Despite the suspicion,

1240
01:30:49,444 --> 01:30:53,378
the Mansi were quickly ruled
out for two key reasons.

1241
01:30:53,413 --> 01:30:56,865
One, the investigators believe
the hikers cut their own way

1242
01:30:56,899 --> 01:30:58,487
out of the tent.

1243
01:30:58,522 --> 01:31:00,282
Although I've already uncovered

1244
01:31:00,316 --> 01:31:02,491
that this was not definitively
proven

1245
01:31:02,526 --> 01:31:04,942
and probably incorrect.

1246
01:31:04,976 --> 01:31:07,531
Secondly, the local Russians
testified

1247
01:31:07,565 --> 01:31:09,222
that the Mansi were friendly

1248
01:31:09,256 --> 01:31:12,950
and some even offered to
help in the search efforts.

1249
01:31:12,984 --> 01:31:15,055
But does a friend's
recommendation

1250
01:31:15,090 --> 01:31:19,163
or being helpful to officials
rule you out of suspicion?

1251
01:31:19,197 --> 01:31:22,062
- No, we certainly have
seen in unsolved homicides

1252
01:31:22,097 --> 01:31:24,030
and all sorts of cases.

1253
01:31:24,064 --> 01:31:25,963
The perpetrator will come back

1254
01:31:25,997 --> 01:31:30,036
and insert themselves
into the investigation.

1255
01:31:30,070 --> 01:31:33,902
That's something that's common.

1256
01:31:33,936 --> 01:31:37,388
The Bahtiyarov family lived
in a nomadic camp of yurts

1257
01:31:37,422 --> 01:31:40,253
in the upper reaches of the
Vizhay river.

1258
01:31:40,287 --> 01:31:43,774
One of the brothers, Peter
Bahtiyarov said in interview,

1259
01:31:51,782 --> 01:31:55,095
- Yet just 10 days earlier,
his brother Nikita,

1260
01:31:55,130 --> 01:31:57,753
who lived in the same family
camp stated.

1261
01:32:09,109 --> 01:32:11,560
- [Liam] The testimonies
were clearly conflicting.

1262
01:32:11,595 --> 01:32:14,632
And we now know there
were more sacred places.

1263
01:32:15,737 --> 01:32:17,497
Closer to Dyatlov's route,

1264
01:32:17,532 --> 01:32:19,568
the hikers unknowingly took a
photo

1265
01:32:19,603 --> 01:32:22,640
of what we now know was a sacred
cave.

1266
01:32:24,504 --> 01:32:28,853
To the north, Man Pupu Ner was
the most sacred place of all.

1267
01:32:28,888 --> 01:32:32,477
Its mighty towers tell the
story of a great Mansi shaman

1268
01:32:32,512 --> 01:32:34,721
who turned giant warriors into
stone

1269
01:32:34,756 --> 01:32:37,103
when they threatened to destroy
the Mansi.

1270
01:32:38,069 --> 01:32:39,726
And at Mount Otorten,

1271
01:32:39,761 --> 01:32:42,695
the very destination of the
Dyatlov team,

1272
01:32:42,729 --> 01:32:44,938
similar stone pillars are found.

1273
01:32:47,354 --> 01:32:48,839
During an interview, another
member

1274
01:32:48,873 --> 01:32:51,600
of the Bahtiyarov family, Pavel,

1275
01:32:51,635 --> 01:32:54,189
stated that he never
went near the mountains

1276
01:32:54,223 --> 01:32:56,709
where the Dyatlov team were
found.

1277
01:33:06,891 --> 01:33:10,343
- [Liam] But despite insisting
Mansi didn't go to this area,

1278
01:33:10,377 --> 01:33:13,415
there were signs that suggest
someone did.

1279
01:33:16,591 --> 01:33:20,560
- There were people who
were present in this area.

1280
01:33:20,595 --> 01:33:24,150
We know that there was a
discovery of chum

1281
01:33:25,427 --> 01:33:28,948
like meters above the tent.

1282
01:33:28,982 --> 01:33:30,984
And the search parties saw this
chum

1283
01:33:31,019 --> 01:33:33,331
and we have a picture of it.

1284
01:33:33,366 --> 01:33:34,919
- So the Mansi interviewed at
the time

1285
01:33:34,954 --> 01:33:36,438
said they didn't go near the
mountains

1286
01:33:36,472 --> 01:33:38,440
and they suddenly didn't hunt in
the area.

1287
01:33:38,474 --> 01:33:41,132
But here we have proof that
someone was.

1288
01:33:45,102 --> 01:33:48,105
Just because there were some
indigenous people in the area,

1289
01:33:48,139 --> 01:33:52,868
that doesn't mean there was
any real motive for an attack.

1290
01:33:52,903 --> 01:33:55,630
But when I dug deeper, there
were signs that the Russian

1291
01:33:55,664 --> 01:33:57,873
and indigenous people's
cohabitation

1292
01:33:57,908 --> 01:33:59,564
wasn't always harmonious.

1293
01:34:00,980 --> 01:34:05,122
In the 1930s, the Soviets
formed a new town called Kazym

1294
01:34:05,156 --> 01:34:08,021
in the Siberian Mansi-Khanty
region.

1295
01:34:08,056 --> 01:34:11,231
The idea was to bring schools
and medical facilities

1296
01:34:11,266 --> 01:34:15,166
to the local people as part of
the Soviet collectivization.

1297
01:34:16,064 --> 01:34:18,756
However, these changes
were imposed on the locals

1298
01:34:18,791 --> 01:34:21,690
who were not given a say in the
matter.

1299
01:34:21,725 --> 01:34:24,244
They were forced to
comply with Soviet rules

1300
01:34:24,279 --> 01:34:26,005
and their children were forcibly
taken

1301
01:34:26,039 --> 01:34:27,489
to attend boarding schools,

1302
01:34:27,523 --> 01:34:29,111
where they were forbidden to
practice

1303
01:34:29,146 --> 01:34:31,044
their native language and
beliefs.

1304
01:34:32,114 --> 01:34:35,739
Understandably, the local people
were outraged and rebelled

1305
01:34:35,773 --> 01:34:37,430
against the authorities,

1306
01:34:37,464 --> 01:34:41,296
resulting in a number of
deadly conflicts in the 1930s.

1307
01:34:43,643 --> 01:34:45,058
Following these clashes,

1308
01:34:45,093 --> 01:34:48,130
Mansi and Khanty culture was
outlawed.

1309
01:34:48,165 --> 01:34:50,063
Sacred grounds were destroyed

1310
01:34:50,098 --> 01:34:54,102
And Sharmans practicing ancient
rituals were imprisoned.

1311
01:34:54,136 --> 01:34:57,243
The outlawing of thousands
of years of cultural belief

1312
01:34:57,277 --> 01:34:59,832
and history would have
undoubtedly fueled

1313
01:34:59,866 --> 01:35:02,248
a bitter resentment towards the
Soviet.

1314
01:35:03,767 --> 01:35:07,218
These rituals and practices
were still officially illegal

1315
01:35:07,253 --> 01:35:11,360
when the Dyatlov group attempted
to reach Mount Otorten.

1316
01:35:11,395 --> 01:35:14,536
Yet, signs of that tradition
still persist today.

1317
01:36:49,665 --> 01:36:53,290
We now know there were sacred
places in the mountains

1318
01:36:53,324 --> 01:36:55,568
and I'm not the first to wonder

1319
01:36:55,602 --> 01:36:57,742
if the Dyatlov group stumbled

1320
01:36:57,777 --> 01:37:00,676
onto a place of great
importance to the Mansi.

1321
01:37:43,271 --> 01:37:44,168
Do you think it's possible

1322
01:37:44,203 --> 01:37:45,998
the Mansi might've killed the
hikers

1323
01:37:46,032 --> 01:37:47,931
because they came across a
sacred site

1324
01:37:47,965 --> 01:37:50,588
or perhaps, a sacred artifact?

1325
01:38:38,913 --> 01:38:40,224
Speaking with Alexey,

1326
01:38:40,259 --> 01:38:43,365
I'm reminded how
dangerous and unfair it is

1327
01:38:43,400 --> 01:38:47,680
to make generalizations
towards whole groups of people.

1328
01:38:47,714 --> 01:38:51,373
Since the Dyatlov incident,
there have been no other reports

1329
01:38:51,408 --> 01:38:55,308
of Mansi attacking
Russians over sacred land.

1330
01:38:55,343 --> 01:38:57,552
And certainly, my journey to the
Pass

1331
01:38:57,586 --> 01:38:59,934
was met with a warm welcome.

1332
01:38:59,968 --> 01:39:03,627
But the evidence so
far still suggest to me

1333
01:39:03,661 --> 01:39:05,284
that it was murder.

1334
01:39:05,318 --> 01:39:06,319
So I keep looking.

1335
01:39:07,976 --> 01:39:12,947
- Whoever attacked the students,
they were flesh and blood

1336
01:39:14,120 --> 01:39:18,124
because students were
capable of fighting back.

1337
01:39:18,159 --> 01:39:20,506
Generally, the people
who lived in the area

1338
01:39:20,540 --> 01:39:22,577
they're called the Mansi.

1339
01:39:22,611 --> 01:39:27,340
There are yet another
people called the Khanty.

1340
01:39:27,375 --> 01:39:31,137
They are not living there
constantly,

1341
01:39:31,172 --> 01:39:34,175
but there were rumors that some
of them,

1342
01:39:34,209 --> 01:39:38,765
just several of them were
living secluded in the area.

1343
01:39:38,800 --> 01:39:43,115
And they were not friends
with Mansi or with Russians.

1344
01:39:44,150 --> 01:39:46,497
- [Liam] Digging through
the official reports,

1345
01:39:46,532 --> 01:39:49,638
I spotted a detail that might
just provide

1346
01:39:49,673 --> 01:39:52,055
the biggest clue yet.

1347
01:39:52,089 --> 01:39:55,679
The official report from
police officer, Gorbushin,

1348
01:39:55,713 --> 01:39:57,439
in the town of Ivdel.

1349
01:39:57,474 --> 01:40:00,822
He speaks of an informal
conversation he had

1350
01:40:00,856 --> 01:40:03,652
with a member of the Mansi
Kurikov family.

1351
01:40:20,290 --> 01:40:22,740
- [Liam] Later, a member
of the Kurikov family,

1352
01:40:22,775 --> 01:40:25,709
Grigoriy, was officially
interviewed.

1353
01:40:39,067 --> 01:40:41,587
- [Liam] Despite the
police offices tantalizing

1354
01:40:41,621 --> 01:40:43,209
piece of information,

1355
01:40:43,244 --> 01:40:45,660
the suspicion that other
indigenous people

1356
01:40:45,694 --> 01:40:50,044
were living in the area was
not further investigated.

1357
01:40:50,078 --> 01:40:52,563
And there's one last clue.

1358
01:40:52,598 --> 01:40:56,360
A strip of dark material
found at the cedar tree

1359
01:40:56,395 --> 01:40:59,294
where the first two
bodies were discovered.

1360
01:40:59,329 --> 01:41:02,987
Search party member, Boris
Slobstov wrote.

1361
01:41:18,279 --> 01:41:21,454
- [Liam] Despite the clues
and evidence of violence,

1362
01:41:21,489 --> 01:41:23,629
the authorities dropped the
search

1363
01:41:23,663 --> 01:41:25,872
for any possible attackers.

1364
01:41:25,907 --> 01:41:29,566
The truth of this unknown
compelling force

1365
01:41:29,600 --> 01:41:32,465
has remained hidden under
wintery snows

1366
01:41:32,500 --> 01:41:36,780
and tightly held secrets
for more than 60 years.

1367
01:41:36,814 --> 01:41:40,542
- The crushing injuries
and the skull fractures

1368
01:41:40,577 --> 01:41:43,752
because they're so different,

1369
01:41:43,787 --> 01:41:46,376
there had to be three or four
assailants

1370
01:41:46,410 --> 01:41:49,033
involved in whatever this
incident was.

1371
01:41:49,068 --> 01:41:50,863
And I don't believe that in any
way,

1372
01:41:50,897 --> 01:41:52,934
could just be an accident.

1373
01:42:06,741 --> 01:42:11,401
- When you look at the wounds
that were on the hikers,

1374
01:42:11,435 --> 01:42:13,644
I'm just not buying the
accidental thing,

1375
01:42:13,679 --> 01:42:14,576
this was a homicide.

1376
01:42:30,558 --> 01:42:34,320
- I have a strong conviction
that military people

1377
01:42:34,355 --> 01:42:36,357
wouldn't do it this way.

1378
01:42:36,391 --> 01:42:38,704
There is an expression in
Russian.

1379
01:42:38,738 --> 01:42:40,913
If there is no body, there is no
case.

1380
01:42:43,157 --> 01:42:45,987
[dramatic music]

1381
01:42:58,275 --> 01:42:59,759
- [Liam] From the beginning,

1382
01:42:59,794 --> 01:43:02,935
this mystery captured my
imagination.

1383
01:43:02,969 --> 01:43:05,903
And after two years of studying
the case,

1384
01:43:05,938 --> 01:43:08,112
it's become something more.

1385
01:43:08,147 --> 01:43:12,324
Every diary entry, every
glance and every photo

1386
01:43:12,358 --> 01:43:17,087
seems to hide a clue like a
distant voice compelling me

1387
01:43:17,121 --> 01:43:18,606
to join the search.

1388
01:43:21,056 --> 01:43:24,232
So this is roughly where
the Dyatlov tent was found.

1389
01:43:25,302 --> 01:43:27,753
It's incredible to be here
and I can see why they wanted

1390
01:43:27,787 --> 01:43:29,133
to be out here, it's beautiful.

1391
01:43:29,168 --> 01:43:30,652
And it's so isolated.

1392
01:43:30,687 --> 01:43:33,517
Like 100 kilometers away
from any other village.

1393
01:43:34,346 --> 01:43:37,107
It must've been absolutely
exhilarating for them

1394
01:43:37,141 --> 01:43:40,421
to have been hiking in
these types of locations.

1395
01:43:40,455 --> 01:43:43,941
And it's still a mystery
as to what happened

1396
01:43:43,976 --> 01:43:46,427
but I certainly understand
better

1397
01:43:46,461 --> 01:43:49,292
why they came out here
in the first place now.

1398
01:43:49,326 --> 01:43:52,571
[dramatic music]

1399
01:43:52,605 --> 01:43:54,089
In some small way,

1400
01:43:54,124 --> 01:43:56,747
I feel I've come to know the
hikers.

1401
01:43:56,782 --> 01:43:58,922
I certainly wish I could
have had the chance

1402
01:43:58,956 --> 01:44:00,061
to have met them.

1403
01:44:01,027 --> 01:44:03,547
I think we could have
shared an adventure or two.

1404
01:44:04,928 --> 01:44:06,585
There may be more evidence

1405
01:44:06,619 --> 01:44:09,208
and theories surrounding
this case to come.

1406
01:44:10,071 --> 01:44:13,108
But out of respect of the
Dyatlov group,

1407
01:44:13,143 --> 01:44:17,112
I believe they should all be
explored with an open mind.

1408
01:44:18,700 --> 01:44:21,703
We may be looking at it
through different lenses

1409
01:44:21,738 --> 01:44:24,223
but our vision is the same,

1410
01:44:24,258 --> 01:44:29,263
to lay to rest the mystery of
an unknown compelling force.

1411
01:44:29,573 --> 01:44:33,094
[intense dramatic music]