Mystery of the Dyatlov group death. Евгений Буянов

last, rested against tent, we stand, we are silent and we do not know what to do: the tent slope in the center is broken off, inside the snow, any things, skis stick out, at an entrance will thrust during snow an ice axe, people it is not visible, terribly, already horror!. ("" Rescue efforts in the The Northern Urals, February, 1959, DyatlovDyatlov's pass», the EKS magaZina, No. 46, 2007).

      Group of tourists on a search route in a taiga of a valley of Auspiya: Mikhail Sharavin (at the left), Vladimir Strelnikov, Boris Slobtsov (in the center), Vyacheslav Halizov (on the right with the card). V. Brusnitsin's photo from 25.02.59)

      Were after all and suspicions that someone attacked DyatlovDyatlovets. What there, in tent?.. Whether there are in it people, live or lost? The stress and internal tension captured rescuers – all remembered «instructions» undesirability of contacts to strangers and observance of measures of care. Warned that in the area there can be convicts, wild animals. And didn't understand everything, what for trouble, – why DyatlovDyatlovThe Dyatlov group was gone?..

      The tent stood in the destroyed condition, covered with snow. Outside stuck out only a corner over the resisted rack from an entrance turned to the pass, fabric scraps in the middle (acting from under snow), pair of skis, an ice axe and separate edges of ski sticks on which delays fastened. This tent was the long, double, sewed joining of two tents lodges. The back rack failed, – the fallen part of tent behind was closed by a snowdrift. Didn't keep it in the middle and two racks from the skis, thrust at an entrance in tent (according to Sharavin). Rescuers carefully examined tent inside through a rupture of a roof. Furrow snow in and along tent, using an ice axe which stood at its entrance. People inside didn't appear. The external slope of a roof of tent appeared is broken strongly off, large pieces of a roof were absent. The entrance in tent in its gap from a slope had a fur jacket which force pressed into slope snow.

      Participants and heads of search groups

      Participants of searches and consequence. From right to left: Koptelov, Lebedev, Halizov, Tchernyshov, Sogrin, Atmanaki (below), Brusnitsin (behind), Axelrod, Slobtsov, Tipikin (below), Sharavin? (for Sharavin), Cheglakov,? (for Cheglakov), Ivanov (wearing spectacles),? Anyamov

      From above in tent the blankets thrown in a disorder which crumpled and have frozen together rolled. On a forward rack in tent Slobodin's jacket-storm from which pocket took a box from under sugar candies fruit drops hung. In a box there were documents, train tickets and money. Traces on snow at tent didn't notice, – traces were visible and began in 15–20 m from tent, and order directly down, to the wood. Attentively these traces Slobtsov and Sharavin didn't begin to study and didn't begin to dig out an entrance, – they hurried up to return on the parking before dark and to manage to report to companions about the find. Searchers felt better, without having found in tent of victims and in the absence of robbery signs as money, alcohol and valuable things were in tent. Having taken a box with documents, a flask with alcohol, an ice axe and the camera as "material evidences", Slobtsov and Sharavin on skis returned to the camp.

      Earlier Slobtsov had no radio communication, but at 13.00 26.02 radio operator Egor Nevolin of a northern geological expedition of Sulman approached to Slobtsov's camp (a call sign: «Border», Nevolin's call sign: «Raup», Ortyukov's call sign: "Mole"). Nevolin reported at 13.00 about connection of groups on Auspiya. And about 18.00 Nevolins reported in a search staff on a find of tent of DyatlovDyatlov Slobtsov's group. Already in the dark four Muncie – Kurikova and Nikolay Anyamov with a cervine team too left to camp on Auspiya. On a radio communication session with a staff at 23.00 rescuers specified an arrangement of tent of DyatlovDyatlov and camp of searchers at the mountain Holatchakhl. The staff instructed Slobtsov to prepare a platform for helicopter reception, to choose a place for the equipment of big camp on 50 people and to be since morning on communication.

      Decided to celebrate a find in the evening, having drunk on a half-glass of the diluted alcohol. Someone lifted a toast: «For health of DyatlovDyatlovetses!». On what local conductors (Pashin – «Ivan» and Cheglakov – "Alexey") gloomy objected that: «It is necessary to drink "for the peace of" …» rather. Polytechnicians nearly didn't beat them, – all students while were sure that anything serious DyatlovDyatlov with group didn't happen, they simply didn't want to trust in it …

      "Star" flight

      Participants of group of Karelin told any strange story about flight supervision «a fiery sphere» in seven mornings on February 17 when it was still dark. «Sphere» with an asterisk in stars in the night sky as «the full Moon» within 2–3 minutes with increase of force of light, and then its luminescence began to decrease, didn't go out yet absolutely. They at that time were in a campaign, – they were woken by the persons on duty Atmanaki and Shavkunov who have noticed the extraordinary phenomenon of «sphere» shining in the sky with concentric rings around, the size in 5–6 «moon diameters». The woken tourists jumped out of tent in what slept, – without footwear, in socks, and in ski suits without jaket-storm and padded jackets. Probably, after the first discussions of this phenomenon someone stated a hypothesis about its communication with failure of DyatlovDyatlovthe Dyatlov group. «The riddle of fireballs» so arose. After all DyatlovDyatlovetses too jumped out of tent «in what slept», – in sweaters and ski suits, without jackets and without footwear… This assumption will be supported also soon with indications of other witnesses, and new supervision of «star flight». And the authentic explanation of this phenomenon to us will manage to be found only in February, 2007.

      Don't leave me in terrible trouble,

      When my strength is coming to the end, —

      The person consists of people,

      Who give a helping hand in the hour of need!

Y.I.Vizbor

      Tragic finds and questions without answers

      Having got the message about the found tent, Ortyukov and Maslennikov began to draw up rescue forces to Mount Holatchakhl (1096) for localization of the search zone. The Karelin and Tchernyshov groups were transferred here from Ivdel and upper reaches of the Vishera already on February 27th together with Moiseyev and Mostovoy with guard dogs. After receiving a message with a pendant from the plane, on February 27th the Tchernyshov group made all ready for the journey in the morning and set out for Mount Holatchakhl (it was 25 km away from this place). The flown-up helicopter picked them up and delivered to the outlier on the pass at Mount Holatchakhl. The Grebennik group was given a signal with a pendant from the plane while approaching Mount Oyko-Chakur, and they started descending along the Toshemka in the direction of Vizhay. The next day the helicopter took them off. The Grebennik group also had a “double” tent which looked like the Dyatlov group’s tent.

      On all grounds, it was the tent, which the aviators (Karpushin, Patrushev) saw, who spoke of it much later as of the Dyatlov group’s tent, near which “the dead” were lying. However, it was the Grebennik group’s tent, and it was the tourists of the Grebennik group, who were lying in a conventional sign near it, not “the dead”. And it was on February 27th, when the aviators saw the tent, not on 25th, – already after discovering the Dyatlov group’s tent by the Slobtsov group.

      The Dyatlov group’s tent after its partial excavation (Yury Koptelov is near the tent, Vladislav Karelin is behind him). A photo by Tcheglakov A.S., February, 27

      The Axelrod group was ordered with a pendant from the helicopter to prepare for the departure. Having learned of finding Dyatlov’s tent, experienced Axelrod and Sogrin understood that the Dyatlov group was gone. They couldn't go far away from the accident site without skis, and couldn't survive without clothes, provisions and equipment. Accident! All three companions bared the heads and kept silent, remembering the lost friends. The Axelrod group arrived in Ivdel by helicopter