Jan. 5, 2026

Terrifying & True | 1993 Hamar-Daban Mystery: Siberia’s “Dyatlov Pass” Tragedy

Terrifying & True | 1993 Hamar-Daban Mystery: Siberia’s “Dyatlov Pass” Tragedy
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Spreaker podcast player badge
Audible podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconSpreaker podcast player iconAudible podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon

Dive into chilling stories and eerie folklore with this terrifying true mystery from Siberia...A true crime / survival mystery in August 1993, seven hikers entered the Hamar-Daban Mountains of Buryatia (near Lake Baikal)—and only one walked back out. What happened on that windswept ridge has been called the “Buryat Dyatlov Pass”: a sudden storm, a frantic descent, and then a cascade of bizarre symptomsfoaming at the mouth, blood, panic, and collapse—leaving six bodies scattered on an exposed ledge while a terrified teen survivor staggered to a river and found help.
Officials ruled hypothermia and closed the case. But the details refused to stay buried: claims of missing eyes later attributed to scavengers, questions about food and exhaustion, and theories ranging from toxic exposure to military testing to the possibility of cold/altitude-related pulmonary edema.
Inside this episode:

  • The trek: Lyudmila Korovina leads six young hikers into the Hamar-Daban range
  • The turn: August 4–5 — a brutal storm hits at roughly 2,300 meters
  • The collapse: eyewitness survivor account of sudden convulsions and rapid deaths
  • The recovery: why the scene looked “impossible,” and what time + wildlife can do
  • The official file: why authorities said hypothermia—and what they dismissed
  • Theories vs. evidence: separating folklore from what the record can actually support

This is a case where nature, fear, and unanswered questions collide—and the only person who knows the final minutes had to live with them forever. We’re telling that story tonight.

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!

🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

1
00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:07.559
The storm came out of nowhere, and then the hikers

2
00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:17.160
started dropping, one by one, foaming, bleeding, screaming. In minutes,

3
00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:23.519
six were gone on a Siberian ridge they would never escape,

4
00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:30.000
and one terrified teenager ran blind into the wilderness, praying

5
00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:36.600
the river would lead her to safety. What you were

6
00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:45.439
about to pat is buried to be based on witness accounts, testaments,

7
00:00:46.359 --> 00:01:01.679
and public record, this is terrifying and treat High in

8
00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:07.760
the Hamar Dabon Mountains of Siberia, winter doesn't wait for

9
00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:13.359
a season. Even in summer, the cold can arrive like

10
00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:20.840
a verdict, wind knifing through wet clothing, fog swallowing the distance,

11
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:27.120
and sleet turning every rock into a trap. One moment

12
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:32.719
you're hiking beneath gray skies, the next you're fighting to

13
00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:38.719
breathe in the air that feels sharpened and watching the

14
00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:45.599
world turn white. In August of nineteen ninety three, seven

15
00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:52.040
hitchhikers followed an experienced leader into that very unforgiving range

16
00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:58.200
near Lake bai Kal. They weren't reckless thrill seekers. They

17
00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:04.840
were trained, prepared and moving with purpose. But when a

18
00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:12.360
sudden storm slammed into the ridge, warmth vanished, Visibility collapsed,

19
00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:18.919
and the mountain began doing what it does best, isolating people,

20
00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:25.479
one decision at a time, until there's no one left

21
00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:31.360
to hear you call out. What happened next still chills

22
00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:38.759
investigators and locals. Decades later, a frantic descent, a campsite

23
00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:45.719
abandoned in chaos, and then the survivor's account of terrifying

24
00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:52.080
symptoms and to collapse so fast it felt unreal. Six

25
00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:57.639
would die on that frozen slope. One would stumble into

26
00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:02.919
the wilderness alone, oaked to the bone, with the storm

27
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:08.960
at her back and the silence ahead. Authorities were quick

28
00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:13.840
to call it hypothermia and close the file, but the

29
00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:20.879
details refuse to freeze in place. Tonight we examine the facts,

30
00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:27.840
the contradictions, and the theories, because in Hamar Daba, the

31
00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:35.039
cold doesn't just kill, it keeps secrets. Grab a blanket

32
00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:38.960
and something warm to drink as we make our way

33
00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:44.319
to Siberia. And while you're at it, make sure you're

34
00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:50.319
subscribed for more terrifying and true every Monday, right here

35
00:03:50.639 --> 00:04:07.840
on Weekly Spooky. In August of nineteen ninety three, the

36
00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:15.400
Hamar Daban Mountains of Buriatiya majestic peaks, notorious for sudden storms,

37
00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:20.879
became the scene of a baffling tragedy a season. Forty

38
00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:26.959
one year old instructor Laudmiya Coravina led six young trekkers

39
00:04:27.319 --> 00:04:32.000
from Kazakhstan on a challenging hike through this wild terrain.

40
00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:37.439
They had prepared well, mapping their route months in advance

41
00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:42.160
and carrying plenty of food and gear for several days.

42
00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:47.279
Everything went according to plan as the team made steady

43
00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:53.720
progress through forests and over ridges, enjoying campfires under the stars.

44
00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:58.720
But on the night of August fourth through fifth, near

45
00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:03.120
the crest of the rain jet around twenty three hundred meters,

46
00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:08.920
the weather turned. A vicious storm blew in with howling

47
00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:14.319
winds and freezing rain that soon changed to wet snow.

48
00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:20.639
The hikers, dressed for mild weather, were suddenly soaked and

49
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:26.839
shivering as the temperature plunged. Tense collapsed under the gale

50
00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:31.240
before dawn, Coravina decided they had to get off the

51
00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:36.839
exposed ridge immediately. The group hurried back to pack up

52
00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:43.560
and began descending toward the treeline as the blizzard intensified.

53
00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:48.959
In the early morning hours of August fifth, As the

54
00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:54.800
seven struggled down a slope through blinding snow. Disaster struck

55
00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:00.920
without warning, Twenty four year old Alexander Creasan, one of

56
00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:05.720
the strongest hikers in the team, suddenly fell to the ground,

57
00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:14.040
frothing at the mouth. Valentina Utochenko seventeen later described foam

58
00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:18.920
coming from Chrysan's mouth and blood from his ears as

59
00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:24.600
he convulsed. By the time Coravina reached him, Cresan was

60
00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:35.439
not breathing. Then, shockingly, Corovina herself collapsed. She clutched her

61
00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:40.639
chest and dropped to her knees over Cresan's body, apparently

62
00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:46.480
felled by a heart attack on the spot. What followed

63
00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:52.720
was pure chaos. The remaining hikers were thrown into panic.

64
00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:59.759
In their terror, one hiker, Tatiana Filippenko, began smashing her

65
00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:06.040
head against rocks, Another, Dini Schvatchkin, curled up in his

66
00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:11.199
sleeping bag under a boulder, and seventeen year old Victoria

67
00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:17.519
Zalezova went into a hysterical rage, at one point biting

68
00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:24.839
Valentina's arm while screaming incoherently. Korvina tried to rally them,

69
00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:29.959
but it was too late. One by one, the others

70
00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:36.199
collapsed on the icy ground, falling where they stood. In

71
00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:39.480
a matter of minutes, six members of the group were

72
00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:47.120
dead or dying, scattered in the howling wind. Only Valentina

73
00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:54.639
remained on her feet. Bruised, numb, and terrified. She realized

74
00:07:54.720 --> 00:07:59.000
she was the last one alive. She broke away and

75
00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:05.000
ran half stumbling, half sliding down the mountain through the storm,

76
00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:09.560
praying she might find help before it was too late.

77
00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:15.680
After several hours of stumbling alone through the wilderness, a

78
00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:20.519
little past midday, a group of Ukrainian rafters on the

79
00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:24.600
Sneezna River spotted a young woman on the river bank.

80
00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:32.759
It was Valentina. She was battered, soaked, and incoherent, shouting

81
00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:37.600
about dead friends on the mountain. The rafters rushed to

82
00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:41.159
her aid. They wrapped her in warm clothes and tried

83
00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:44.919
to calm her as she babbled about what had happened.

84
00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:51.120
Once they grasped the situation, they alerted the authorities at once.

85
00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:58.600
Rescue teams launched an urgent search, but the weather hampered them.

86
00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:04.440
Helicopters and round crews scoured the mountains for days, initially

87
00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:11.519
finding nothing. Finally, on August twenty seventh, nearly three weeks

88
00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:16.759
after the ordeal, a rescue helicopter crew spotted a grim

89
00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:22.960
scene on a high barren ledge. Six bodies were lying

90
00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:28.120
in the snow. When rescuers reached the site, they found

91
00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:35.960
the corpses exactly as Valentina had described. The site was ghastly.

92
00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:41.600
It was a terrible picture, as one helicopter crewman reported.

93
00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:47.559
The bodies lay on a small rocky shelf, some huddled together,

94
00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:53.279
others sprawled apart. They had been exposed to the elements

95
00:09:53.320 --> 00:09:59.720
for weeks. All of their eyes were gone, empty sockets

96
00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:04.360
staring into the sky, and parts of their faces and

97
00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:11.200
limbs had been eaten away by scavengers. In the open mouths,

98
00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:17.039
insects writhed the stench of decay hung in the thin air.

99
00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:23.120
Rescuers wrapped the remains in plastic for transport, but even

100
00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:28.360
then the helicopter was filled with a foul odor during

101
00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:33.840
the return flight. In total, six lives were lost on

102
00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:40.399
that ledge. Valentina Otchenko, the teenager who managed to flee,

103
00:10:41.399 --> 00:10:48.240
was the only survivor of the expedition. Russian authorities investigated

104
00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:54.759
the incident to determine how this calamity unfolded. Forensic autopsies

105
00:10:54.840 --> 00:11:01.960
confirmed that All six victims ultimately died of hypothermia lethal

106
00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:07.759
exposure to the cold. Their bodies showed classic signs of

107
00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:15.360
freezing and exhaustion, soaked tattered clothes, and internal damage consistent

108
00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:23.639
with extreme cold, including completely depleted energy reserves. Importantly, there

109
00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:28.879
were no major external injuries and no indication of foul

110
00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:35.519
play or violence. Investigators found no traces of any toxins

111
00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:40.679
or drugs. Based on the evidence, officials concluded that the

112
00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:45.519
group fell victim to a deadly combination of weather and

113
00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:51.679
human missteps. As the final report put it, no criminal

114
00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:56.559
case was opened. The only factors were in proper leadership

115
00:11:57.240 --> 00:12:02.679
and cold. In other words, the official verdict was that

116
00:12:02.759 --> 00:12:07.840
Coravena's team froze to death due to an unexpected mountain

117
00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:20.919
storm and sheer fatigue. One finding suggested the hikers were

118
00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:27.159
weaker than expected before the storm even hit. Searchers noted

119
00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:32.080
that at the final campsite, the team's food stores were

120
00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:37.559
virtually gone. Only a single can of meat stew was

121
00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:43.919
found for all seven people quote, no candy wrappers, no

122
00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:50.919
extra rations, nothing, One rescuer recalled, implying the group might

123
00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:55.600
have been running on empty. Coravina was known as a

124
00:12:55.720 --> 00:13:00.799
tough survivalist instructor who sometimes kept her students on minimal

125
00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:05.120
rations to harden them. If she had done so here,

126
00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:11.000
it could explain why the hikers deteriorated so rapidly when

127
00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:18.440
conditions turned Quote, no wonder they died. Their bodies were spent,

128
00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:27.919
that rescuer commented bitterly. Valentina o Tochenko, however, has always

129
00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:33.120
defended her mentor and the group's preparation. She insists they

130
00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:38.240
were well fed and well equipped. In interviews, Valentina said

131
00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:42.200
they ate hot meals four times a day and had

132
00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:48.320
plenty of snacks. Quote we often built campfires to warm food,

133
00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:54.840
she noted. She describes Coravina as an attentive, caring leader

134
00:13:55.279 --> 00:14:00.519
who did everything possible once the weather turned bad. According

135
00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:05.559
to Valentina, Corovina woke everyone early and tried to lead

136
00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:10.840
a careful descent. Quote she tried to save us. She

137
00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:19.279
just didn't have time, Valentina recounted, rejecting any claim of incompetence.

138
00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:26.159
Valentina also offered her own theory for the tragedy. She

139
00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:31.159
believes a sudden pulmonary edema a rapid fluid build up

140
00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:35.159
in the lungs might have struck down her friends. In

141
00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:40.440
the extreme conditions, this can cause victims to froth blood

142
00:14:40.919 --> 00:14:46.200
and suffocate quickly. It's a known but rare reaction to

143
00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:50.720
high altitude and cold, and it matched some of the

144
00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:57.279
symptoms she witnessed. Doctors acknowledged that cold induced edema can happen,

145
00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:01.600
though it is highly unusual dual at two thousand, three

146
00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:07.879
hundred meters. Despite her speculation, officials did not find medical

147
00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:16.639
proof of this specific occurrence, and the official explanation remained hypothermia.

148
00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:21.480
In the end, the authorities treated the case as a

149
00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:28.799
tragic accident. No further criminal or scientific inquiry was pursued.

150
00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.639
The file was closed with the conclusion that a sudden

151
00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:39.519
change of weather, combined with possible mistakes in judgment, led

152
00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:46.440
to the deaths. Nothing supernatural or extraordinary, just a worst

153
00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:53.320
case scenario of nature overwhelming the hikers. For many who

154
00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:59.639
hear the story, however, the official verdict feels incomplete. The

155
00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:03.759
base manner in which the hikers died has given rise

156
00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:08.960
to a slew of alternative theories. How could a close

157
00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:14.919
knit trekking group descend into such horror so quickly. Over

158
00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:22.200
the years, outdoor enthusiasts and mystery lovers have proposed various explanations.

159
00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:26.440
Here are some of the leading theories, each with a

160
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:31.240
compelling point or two, and each with a major flaw.

161
00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:39.080
The first is nerve gas exposure. Perhaps the hikers encountered

162
00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:45.080
a cloud of military grade nerve gas. Nerve agents like novichok,

163
00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:50.919
can cause convulsions, foaming at the mouth, paralysis, and death

164
00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:59.559
within minutes, eerily matching the scene Valentina had described. Maybe

165
00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:03.799
a seascret weapons test or accidental leak in the area

166
00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:12.839
gased the group, killing them almost simultaneously. However, extensive testing

167
00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:17.359
found no poisons in the victim's bodies and there were

168
00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:23.279
no reports of military operations nearby. Without a shred of

169
00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:31.000
evidence of chemicals, this theory remains pure speculation. Another theory

170
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:38.759
is more natural, although still terrifying. Some theorize a natural

171
00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:44.839
phenomena infrasound from the storm induced terror in the group.

172
00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:51.880
Powerful winds can generate low frequency vibrations that humans can't

173
00:17:52.039 --> 00:18:00.680
hear but might feel, potentially causing unease or panic. The

174
00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:06.640
fierce gale that night could have conceivably produced infrasound that

175
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:12.440
drove the hikers into irrational fear or even physical distress.

176
00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:19.240
This might account for their sudden hysterical behavior. Yet this

177
00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:25.799
idea is very very hard to prove. No recordings exist

178
00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:31.079
of any unusual sound that night, and the hikers already

179
00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:36.200
had ample reason to panic due to the freezing blizzard

180
00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:41.799
and the collapsing of their camp infrasound remains an intriguing

181
00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:52.039
but uninformed hypothesis. Another theory that others suspect are environmental toxins.

182
00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:57.720
Perhaps an unexpected release of gas from a lightning strike

183
00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:03.079
the ground or a d distant industrial accident poisoned the

184
00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:09.599
hiker's air inhaling something like ozone or chemical fumes could

185
00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:14.920
have burned their lungs, causing them to cough blood and collapse.

186
00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:22.920
Such fumes would neatly explain the bloody froth and sudden deaths. However,

187
00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:28.240
no evidence of any chemical leak or unusual gas was

188
00:19:28.279 --> 00:19:34.599
ever found. Autopsies detected no toxins, and no nearby incident

189
00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:42.279
was reported. This theory, too, is mostly guesswork without data.

190
00:19:43.279 --> 00:19:49.680
A more conventional disaster scenario is also considered. Maybe a

191
00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:55.400
small avalanche or a powerful gust of wind a catabatic

192
00:19:55.480 --> 00:20:00.200
wind struck the camp. A slab of wet snow could

193
00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:04.039
have collapsed onto them, or a sudden windblast might have

194
00:20:04.119 --> 00:20:09.680
knocked members off their feet, triggering panic. This could explain

195
00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:17.400
why the team became so disoriented so fast. However, rescuers

196
00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:22.240
saw no sign of any avalanche debris, and the bodies

197
00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:28.079
had no injuries, none consistent with a snow slide impact.

198
00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:35.160
While extreme weather undoubtedly contributed to their fate, it alone

199
00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:43.680
doesn't explain the hiker's bizarre symptoms and rapid demise. The

200
00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:48.480
simplest explanation is that there was no mystery at all,

201
00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:57.119
just human tragedy. Coravena may have overestimated her team's ability

202
00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:02.759
and made fatal decisions. By the time they faced the storm,

203
00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:09.880
the hikers were already exhausted and freezing. Severe hypothermia can

204
00:21:09.960 --> 00:21:16.880
lead to confusion, irrational behavior, and even hallucinations, which could

205
00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:23.160
explain the self harm and delirium reported. The gruesome injuries

206
00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:30.039
like missing eyes were likely caused by scavenging animals after death,

207
00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:39.039
not any strange force, as investigators had suggested a perfect

208
00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:44.359
storm of poor planning and brutal weather, not the paranormal

209
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:56.440
had killed the group. None of these theories can be proven,

210
00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:03.960
yet none can be entirely dismissed. Decades later, people still

211
00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:10.160
debate what really happened on that mountain. Officially, the tragedy

212
00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:15.640
was simple, but to those who know the story, that

213
00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:21.720
answer feels almost too neat and tidy. The deaths were

214
00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:25.799
so sudden and strange that it's hard not to wonder

215
00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:31.759
if something more was at play in the end. The

216
00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:37.759
nineteen ninety three Hamar Dabbin incident occupies an uneasy realm

217
00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:44.799
between fact and folklore, a case where nature's power, human fear,

218
00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:49.960
and our desire for answers combine to shroud the truth

219
00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:57.200
in mystery. This disaster inevitably drew parallels to the famous

220
00:22:57.319 --> 00:23:03.240
Yatlav Past incident of nineteen fifty nine. Both involved young

221
00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:09.640
hikers dying under puzzling circumstances in the mountains. The media

222
00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:15.400
even dubbed Coravina's case as the buryat Ditlov Pass because

223
00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:21.920
of these similarities, unexplained injuries, signs of panic, and gruesome

224
00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:30.240
details evoking the Ditlav mystery. However, the differences are significant.

225
00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:36.519
Ditlov's group faced deep winter cold and likely an avalanche,

226
00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:41.559
whereas Coravina's team was caught in a summer storm and

227
00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:49.079
no avalanche evidence was ever found Ditlov's autopsies showed severe

228
00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:54.680
trauma from a snow impact, while the Hamar D'aban victims

229
00:23:55.240 --> 00:24:02.480
had no such injuries, only indications of hypothera. Moreover, the

230
00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:09.200
Dyetlav incident underwent decades of intensive investigation, and today most

231
00:24:09.319 --> 00:24:17.480
experts conclude an avalanche and hypothermia were to blame. Coravina's case,

232
00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:23.160
in contrast, was quickly classified as an accident and never

233
00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:29.119
studied to the same depth. Additionally, each tragedy left only

234
00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:34.440
one survivor. At the Dyetlav Pass, a hiker had turned

235
00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:39.160
back early and wasn't present for the fatal night. At

236
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:46.119
Hamar Daban, only Valentina lived to recount the ordeal. That

237
00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:51.759
solitary perspective or lack of witnesses in the final moments

238
00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:57.279
contributed to the enduring aura of mystery in both cases.

239
00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:02.039
As a result, the diet Love Pass mystery became a

240
00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:07.680
well known and now largely solved legend, while the Hamar

241
00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:16.079
Daban tragedy, though chilling, remained a more obscure regional tale.

242
00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:20.359
In the years since nineteen ninety three, the story of

243
00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:26.599
Corravina's expedition has become part of local lore tour guides

244
00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:31.640
in Buratia sometimes speak of a cursed pass where the

245
00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:36.240
mountain claimed six lives, and hikers share the tale as

246
00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:44.480
a cautionary lesson. Valentina Utochenko, the sole survivor, withdrew from

247
00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:49.799
public view and only gave a brief television interview many

248
00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:54.119
years later. The incident has been recounted in a few

249
00:25:54.160 --> 00:26:02.039
documentaries and online articles, often with sensational or supernatural embellishments

250
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:07.880
that never appeared in the official report. In truth, the

251
00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:14.599
formal aftermath was straightforward. The victims were recovered and laid

252
00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:18.400
to rest, and the authorities filed the case as a

253
00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:27.240
tragic mountaineering accident, a Turiskaya tragedya in the official records.

254
00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:33.839
Not everyone believes there's anything mystical to the story. Experts

255
00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:39.839
like Edward Gothstein emphasized that quote none of this was

256
00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:45.440
a mystery. In reality, they point out that Valentina's recollections

257
00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:50.759
have varied on certain details, for example, whether foam and

258
00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:55.160
blood were present or whether she closed her friend's eyes,

259
00:26:56.359 --> 00:27:00.960
suggesting that trauma may have distorted some of her memories.

260
00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:07.279
From this perspective, the Hammar Daban tragedy was caused by

261
00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:13.000
an over zealous leader bad luck and brutal weather, and

262
00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:18.400
it unfolded much like any other outdoor accident might. The

263
00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:23.359
most remarkable part, they argue, is not any unknown force,

264
00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:31.640
but Valentina's own survival against the odds. Even today, the

265
00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:38.640
incident remains unsettling. Hikers on the Hammar Daban route sometimes

266
00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:42.599
pause at a small memorial plaque for the nineteen ninety

267
00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:47.680
three victims and reflect on what happened. The wind at

268
00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:53.599
that pass still whispers through the trees, and it's easy

269
00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:59.759
to feel a shiver recalling how quickly an adventure turned

270
00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:05.759
in to a nightmare. In these lonely heights, nature's fury

271
00:28:06.359 --> 00:28:13.359
can seem almost otherworldly. Whatever the truth may be, the

272
00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:19.519
memory of Cora ven A's doomed group endures a haunting

273
00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:28.279
reminder that the wilderness can keep its darkest secrets. Terrifying

274
00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:32.079
and True is narrated by Enrique Kuto. It's executive produced

275
00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:35.680
by Rob Fields and bobble Topia dot com and produced

276
00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:39.079
by Dan Wilder, with original theme music by Ray Mattis.

277
00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:41.440
If you have a story you think we should cover

278
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:44.480
on Terrifying and True, send us an email at Weekly

279
00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:47.519
Spooky at gmail dot com, and if you want to

280
00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:49.359
support us for as little as one dollar a month.

281
00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:52.920
Go to Weeklyspooky dot com slash join. Your support for

282
00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:55.440
as little as one dollar a month keeps the show going.

283
00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:57.759
And speaking of, I want to say an extra special

284
00:28:57.799 --> 00:29:00.880
thank you to our Patreon podcast boost folks who pay

285
00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:02.480
a little bit more to hear their name at the

286
00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:05.319
end of the show. And they are Johnny Nicks, Kate

287
00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:10.039
and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Escuey, Jenny Green, Amber Hansburg,

288
00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:12.960
Karen we Met, Jack Ker, and Craig Cohen. Thank you

289
00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:15.599
all so much and thank you for listening. We'll see

290
00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:20.039
you all right here next time on Terrifying and True