Stacy Galloway, author of the book "Death of Nine" states the eyes were injured while Simon and Luda were alive..
What bring her to this conclusion ?
If it's "injured", could it be something like a bad bacterial ophthalmia ? From rubbing their eyes with snowy mittens.
Their eyes didn't "pop out" or weren't removed while alive, but the cornea was damaged, allowing water & bugs to eat them easily.
Perhaps the four hikers found together died in the position they were found in, but died on the branch seating. Then they were shunted by shifting snow and carried by melt water to their final position?
I agree with that.
There's lined up because the snow, even dragging them, has no reason to push on quicker than the other. Lyuda went a bit to far and fall in the next bassin, and maybe while the snow was melting Semyon and Sacha rolled a bit, but there were all going the same speed.
Though, that implies that the snow cave was a real one : they were really burried in snow. If they had been under a over-hang or anything of that kind, they would have stay in place : Even if the overhang broke at some point, it would have reform above them while the snow cover was going forward.