Overview
In February 1959, nine experienced hikers died under bizarre circumstances in the Ural Mountains. Their tent was cut open from the inside, and they fled into the snow in socks or barefoot. Some suffered internal trauma comparable to a car crash, but with no external wounds.
Theories
Conspiracies include secret Soviet parachute mine testing, infrasound-induced panic, or encounters with an "unknown compelling force." A 2021 study suggested a rare type of slab avalanche as the cause.