Six Hikers Died Gruesome Deaths While Coming Down a Mountain Path
The mysterious deaths of six hikers in 1993, to this date, confuses authorities and civilians alike. Seven hikers between the ages of 15 and 41 set off to climb Khamar Daban in Siberia’s eastern Sayan Mountains, LAD Bible reported. They were scheduled to link up with another group and start their descent. The meeting never happened and instead, a group of Kayakers discovered a bloody scene nearby.
Khamar Daban was a popular hiking spot amongst the tourists, HISTORY reported. The trip was known to be challenging, but experts believe that if done in the right season and conditions, there should be no issues.
The team was led by Lyudmila Korovina, a 41-year-old survivalist and experienced mountaineering guide. She was known in her circles as someone who put in a lot of preparations for her hikes. This expedition was no different and was thoroughly planned out from beginning to end.
Lyudmila Korovina’s daughter, Natalia, was not worried when her mother's group did not turn up at the meeting spot, HISTORY reported. Everyone on the team was experienced, and such delays were normal in hiking. A few days later some kayakers noticed a lonely girl emerging from the trees that lined the river banks. As the kayakers stepped closer, they discovered to their horror, that the girl was covered in blood.
The party set out on August 2, with the initial days going according to the plan, as per the sole survivor, HISTORY reported. They were on track to meet with another party led by Natalia. But then something disastrous and deadly took place.
After some time the girl disclosed that she was Valentina Utochenko, one of the six hikers traveling with Lyudmila Korovina, HISTORY reported. The girl was taken to a nearby police station, where she revealed her version of events that unfolded during the fateful hike. According to her, things were going so smoothly on the trip, that the group reached their summit, two days before schedule. It was while coming down, that tragedy struck the group.
Unexpected heavy rain in the area made the team's gear heavy and caused additional body pains, HISTORY reported. The group decided to create a makeshift camp on August 4 and stay there till the weather came under control.
The next day, the team found the weather to be good enough for a hike and started their descent. As they were on their way through the mountains Sacha, one of the team members began screaming. The group saw in horror as blood started pouring from his eyes and ears.
Lyudmila Korovina sent some team members down the path to meet Natalia and get some aid, HISTORY reported. They stopped in their tracks when they heard Lyudmila Korovina's scream join with Sacha's. Another student also started bleeding from her face and died after getting hit by a nearby rock.
The group went into disarray, as members started fleeing, from the dying or dead. Utochenko and her friend Denis decided to remain together. They were coming back to their starting point when Denise also started getting similar attacks and succumbed to his death. Traumatized by everything, Utochenko kept walking, until she was spotted by the kayakers.
A search party was sent and one by one, the bodies of six hikers were recovered, HISTORY reported. An autopsy revealed that all but Lyudmila Korovina had died from extreme hypothermia and exposure. The leader died from a heart attack. Several speculations have been put forward regarding the bizarre deaths. Some think the team could have ingested contaminated water or poisonous food. Utochenko likely survived because she did not eat those specific substances.
The death of six hikers in such mysterious circumstances shook the world and the incident earned the moniker "Mountain Madness," HISTORY reported. To this date, researchers have not been able to accurately point out what caused the bloodbath on that fateful day.