More Than 16,000 People Have Gone Missing From One Mysterious Area Of The U.S. Since 1988
The number of people who have disappeared is more than twice the national average.
Billion Photos, BackgroundStore, humblino via Canva Unless you’ve lived under a rock your whole life, you’ve no doubt heard of the Bermuda Triangle, a mystical section of the Atlantic Ocean between Puerto Rico, Miami, and Bermuda. Dozens of ships and aircrafts have disappeared while passing through with no explanation.
But the Bermuda Triangle is not the only vast geological location plagued by mysterious disappearances. Another place where many people seem to have simply vanished into thin air is the Alaska Triangle.
What is the Alaska Triangle?
The Alaska Triangle, or Alaskan Triangle, is a swath of land with an area of 32,000 square miles located between Utqiagvik, Anchorage, and Juneau, Alaska.
It consists of a variety of rough terrain like vast forests, frozen tundra, and icy mountains, making it extremely difficult to navigate.
Since 1988, over 16,000 people have disappeared without a trace when traveling through the area.
People go missing there at a rate of 4 out of every 1,000 travelers. This is more than twice the national average. The total number of people who were never found is even higher.
The disparity in the data indicates that there is something more sinister at plan than simply wandering off. The most notable disappearance is that of House Majority Leader, Hale Boggs.
In October 1972, Boggs' private aircraft vanished in bad weather while traveling between Anchorage and Juneau. He was on a campaign trip with Rep. Nick Begich, his aide Russell Brown, and the pilot.
What followed was the biggest search and rescue operation in United States history (at the time), covering 325,000 square miles.
The search enlisted 40 military aircrafts, 50 civilian planes, and required 3,600 hours of search time. It went on for 39 days but was unsuccessful.
The Alaska Triangle Theories
The disappearance of Boggs, along with the area’s long history of disappearances, has created a need for answers. This has led to several theories about what exactly is causing the losses.
Here are some of the suspected reasons people get lost and are never recovered from the Alaska Triangle.
Extraterrestrial Activity
The alien theory is based on a 1986 report submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Japanese Airlines Flight 1628 claimed to have run into three unidentified flying objects. Initially, the pilot says the flight crew thought the crafts were military so they ignored them.
But they soon noticed that the flying objects were keeping up with them and making erratic movements.
For almost an hour, the flight was followed, with the strange aircraft emitting bursts of bright, blinding light. These claims were validated by both military and civilian radar.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, pictures of strange northern light reflecting across the sky have been captured. The sightings may prove that there are indeed other forces at play in the Alaska Triangle.
Energy Vortexes
Another explanation for people disappearing in the Alaska Triangle is the presence of huge spinning energy vortexes. These energy fields are thought to affect how humans feel and think based on how they rotate.
The idea is that a vortex moving clockwise generates positive energy, while a counterclockwise motion brings on negativity and confusion. These energy fields have been confirmed via electronic readings.
In Alaska, magnetic irregularities have a higher intensity. In fact, compasses have been off by up to 30 degrees, reportedly. Volunteers who searched the area have described symptoms like disorientation and hearing things that aren’t there.
The Native American Legend of the Kushtaka
The legend of the Kushtaka, a mysterious race of giants like Bigfoot, are about cryptids that can shapeshift and are relegated to stalking the Alaskan wilderness.
If the legend about a mysterious group of giants is true, the creatures, who apparently resemble otters, show up when travelers are injured under the guise of being a friend or relative that they trust.
Legend has it that once they gain your favor, the Kushtaka lead you even further into the wilderness and eventually rip you apart before you are "reincarnated" as a Kushtaka yourself.
Pyramids and Portals
The next theory is based around speculation that there are pyramids within the Alaska Triangle.
In a Travel Channel series called "The Alaska Triangle," an episode titled "The Dark Pyramid and Violent Nature" suggests that the government is hiding an extraterrestrial pyramid that acts as a portal to other universes and planets.
If you believe that explanation, then people are not really disappearing. They have just traveled to a different place outside of our own universe.
A Logical Explanation
Though many ideas are thrown around about why people come up missing in the Alaska Triangle, a simple explanation can prove that a Native American mythical monster is not haunting the woods and making people a part of its family.
The area is covered with massive glaciers that have a very brittle top layer. They are prone to fracturing for no reason at all and have deep crevasses called moulins that can stretch downward for miles.
It is believed that the missing people and even aircrafts fell into those openings and stayed there. But with global warming, the glaciers are melting, spurring the discovery of long-lost people and objects.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.