Ball Lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon seemingly with no explanation as to it's creation or existence. Not so, the problem isn't a lack of explanations but no proofs.
A simple Google search will reveal there is no single explanation as to what its comprised of, how it forms, why it forms, or any other scientific proof as to whats going on inside of 'ball lightning'. Modern science simply does not know what ball lightning is. But a lot of theories are based on microwaves producing plasmas, possibly spinning at relativistic speeds.
With that being said, here is the basic rundown of how this phenomenon is said to be the cause of death for the Dyatlov group in 1959.
#1. Semyon Zolotaryov of 37 years old was attached to the group of students and recently graduated youngsters in the final moments before setting off on their trip. Given his military background, he is said to possibly be a KGB agent. Not just any agent, but one that must embed himself into the group of boys/girls to do the impossible for the Kremlin... Go into the Ural mountains in disguise with a top-secret camera that nobody else must know about, and bring back pictures of Ball Lightning to study and possibly weaponize. The Russian government has to do this covertly because (insert reason herethere's a Cold War going on).
#2. Upon securing himself on the trip Semyon managed to convince the group leader Igor Dyatlov to take a detour. To venture off the planned route submitted to the University for verification of level III status for a top secret Ball Lightning photoshoot. Igor must be KGB also because he had to be in on it, or at least informed at some point. Why else would he agreeIt doesn't follow that he had to be KGB, he was keen as mustard to qualify as a master alpinist, he just has to be given a hint that SZ has some authority. Anyway they wouldn't detour without discussing it with the rest imo.?
#3. It was decided the best vantage point to photograph BL would be on the ridge of a mountain, in the middle of the night, and in whiteout conditions with negative temperatures. the whiteout would be diminished at the top of the hill, worse lower down So the group followed SZs lead and dug in for a comfortable evening in the worst possible conditions imaginable. It's only what they were going to do later on Mt Ortorten
#4. At some point during the night as if right on que and in the exact location among thousands of baron square kilometers, Maybe they had seen some lights on approaching the pass in previous evenings Igor's last diary entry can be interpreted as reconsidering this plan.The BL showed up! Not only did it show up, but it parked itself right next to the tent! No my favourite theory is rollers (fair to say they got more than they bargained for)
#5. This event sent the group into a mad frenzy slashing their way out of the tent in what must have been a horrific panic. After extracting themselves out of the tent and destroying it forever, the group calmly walked down the slope to get away from what was so terrifying. if a roller broke the ski pole they would have felt the same force as a strong punch?... I'd get out pretty damn quick. The mysterious photos make sense as trying to catch rollers moving quickly down the mountain
#6. Once they made it to safety a full mile away at the treeline, they settled next to a tall cedar tree and started a fire. The cedar tree was the ideal location for BL observation and its height offered a perfect view of the tent location in whiteout conditions as the BL hovered by the tent a mile away. The cedar branches offered the best firewood. Yuri D was probably in a bad way by then. You don't know what the snow conditions were at that point.
#7. While watching the BL from the height of this cedar, the group would know two things. When it was safe to risk their lives and go a mile back uphill to a destroyed tent when the BL has departed, and to watch their comrades progress in dying in an attempt to do so as Igor, Zina, and Rustem did not survive the trip. Its important to note, an attempt of returning to the tent was now possible because the BL had at some point left the vicinity of the tent as clearly seen in whiteout conditions from the top of the cedar. just speculation
#8. To add insult to injury, the BL returns only to swoop down the side of the mountain and explode close to the cedar which tossed Yuri and Yuri out of it giving them burns and aortas three times the normal size for their age. the aortas probably due to NO2 poisoning which seems to have affected YuriD the worst The BL has been selective in its pinpoint destruction as no signs of an explosion or burning (except Yuris leg) were recorded by anyone during the investigation. Not so, Ivanov talked of branches showing burn marks, presumably leading him to talk about "directed heat rays"
#9. Leaving the remaining 4 members of the group alive and unharmed, they decide to salvage clothing and go further into the woods to build an improvised shelter (den) by digging several cubic yards of hard pack snow by bare hand into the side of a ravine snow bank. My timeline is different, first the 2 Yuris then the ravine 4 then the others.
#10. Some time later, the remaining 4 sitting comfortably in their den, butts in all four corners sitting on clothing articles that would later be found above and behind where the den and bodies were found, were viciously attacked once again by the BL. This time it selectively targeted them in the ravine there could have been a lot of them.and exploded causing their den to collapse crushing them. One injury in particular (smashed in skull) was made by snow falling... Not by being slammed against the boulder filled ravine/creek floor. Once again BL leaving no other physical evidence as to its presence. I think i'd favour mechanical force (like impact from an automobile over an explosion but both possible. If it left any other presence it could have been found by a summer search that sadly didn't take place.
Special notes: Even though nobody knows exactly what BL is or what its comprised of, it is said to spicifically target your hands, and face in a fashion in which may appear to be hand/hand combat wounds. It can even make it look as if your side was whacked with a 'baton' and your ankles were tied up. All the bleeding of the noses and mouths are an obvious sign of ship rats feeding on frozen tissue. Blunt force trauma is what BL does[/quote]baton bruise and ankles can easily be explained by hauling the sled and bad ski boots in tough conditions, most of these "combat injuries" were described as "abrasions" by the pathologist. In my theory the remaining to survive dig out the ravine 4 with their bare hands and quickly else they would suffocate, no time to protect your hands. Nitric acid on the face might explain Zina's face