The Horror Unfolds

Machine gun guards were stationed around the island to prevent escapes, and on the second day they began shooting people trying to flee. By May 21, 1933, due to cold, windy weather with snow, and actions of criminal elements, 70 corpses were found across the island. Five of them had soft body parts cut out, and their livers, hearts, and lungs removed. Three people were caught in the act and sent to the convoy commander.

On May 25, rations were organized in one tent consisting of 500 grams of bread, 32 grams of grain, 13 grams of sugar, and a handful of salt. But this was far from sufficient.

People began dying – they burned alive at campfires during sleep, died from exhaustion and cold, from burns and dampness. About 30 deportees died before even reaching the island, and a third of those landed were so weak after the three-week journey they couldn’t stand. Several people were trampled to death in fights over flour distribution. Hundreds of exiles tried to cross the wide river on rafts and drowned or were shot by guards.

Cannibalism

The first cases of cannibalism occurred within ten days after the deportees were abandoned on the island. However, historian Sergey Krasilnikov notes that cannibalism was not mass phenomenon and the exiles themselves turned cannibals over to the guards. The regional commission that investigated the commandant in September 1933 recorded that OGPU officials identified 11 cases of cannibalism.

The commission noted through questioning both local commandant workers and eyewitnesses among labor settlers that they found absolutely no cases indicating cannibalism occurred due to hunger motivations. The commission believed cannibalism was practiced exclusively by sadistic elements.

One particularly horrifying account came from a local resident who hosted a convoy: “An old woman from Death-Island stayed with us. She was being transported in a convoy. I saw that the old woman had the calves cut from her legs”.

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