Swiss scientists uncover possible cause of mysterious hiking accident in Russia Dyatlov group preparing the tent for their last night alive. Dyatlov Memorial Foundation Using topography data and computer simulations, researchers in Switzerland have put forward a plausible explanation for the mysterious deaths of nine hikers in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1959: an unexpected avalanche. This content was published on January 30, 2021 - 11:49 January 30, 2021 - 11:49 Keystone-SDA/ETH/ilj/jdp Their findings lay to rest some conspiracy theories that have emerged over the years to explain the so-called Dyatlov Pass Incident. Possible explanations for the accident, in which the young hikers received terrible injuries, have ranged from Soviet military experiments to a murderous Yeti.