Are these the image's that you refer to Glennm
https://dyatlovpass.com/vasilii-zyadik.
It does look like they were perhaps sheltering and lying next to each other for heat.
It is odd that their heads all seem to be in line with the flow of the stream, I don't know if the water would have been frozen at the time , if the water was running I can't see the reason to lay their heads in that direction .
If they lay down to shelter , I don't think it's the best way to prevent heat loss without some spruce or trees underneath.
I can only think that they were perhaps making or extending a natural snow cave formed by the stream earlier in the season. They maybe took away too much snow at the bottom of nature's naturally formed arch and there was an instant collapse of the snow bridge above. For me, this is the simplest explanation for the injuries of the ravine 4. I know not everyone agrees with that but we have a significant amount of snow above the ravine 4 ( over 3 meters) . I would say that's enough to break ribs etc.
It's impossible to know which came first, was the snow level at ravine at ground level when the hikers arrived or was it already covered and filled in?.
Possible thoughts are, they fell through a snow bridge and couldn't get out , whilst the other 5 hikers tried to think of a way to get them out, or that it was Lyuda Dubinina that fell through first , if there had been a snow bridge formed, then she is found potential over the weakest part of a snow bridge which is the mini waterfall that would have created a bigger space under the snow. If this was the case, then the other 3 may have being trying to rescue her crawling in from the upper part of the stream and then there was a collapse?.
It all depends on the snow level. If it was out siders, I can't see them digging through 3 meters of snow to lay 4 bodies there . If the ravine was relatively empty , how would outsiders know it would fill up to over 3 meters of snow?. Why not put all 9 bodies in the same hole?
It's difficult to fathom any method in outsiders thought process of what they would leave behind for others to find.