Bigfoot, UFOs, and the Alaskan Triangle: Theories Behind 20,000 Mysterious Disappearances
Mysterious theories have emerged trying to explain why as many as 20,000 people have disappeared in a large swathe of the US dubbed the 'Alaskan Triangle.'
The area, which spans between Juneau, Anchorage, and the town of Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), is covered in dense forests, icy mountains and frozen tundra. The population is also very sparse leaving few witnesses to these strange disappearances.
Since the 1970s over 20,000 have reportedly gone missing in this region leading to terrifying and bizarre explanations. According to the Travel Channel, the amount of people going missing in the area is at a rate double the national average.
UFO sightings have been made with witnesses claiming to see "very strange" triangular objects floating through the air. One of these witnesses - Wes Smith - said: "It’s like everything you’ve ever been taught has gone out of the window, because how is that possible?” as reported by the History Channel.
Speaking to the History Channel, researcher Ken Gerhard said: "What I found when I was doing my research in the Alaskan Triangle, was that a number of these missing person cases legitimately could not be solved.
"This wasn't just a case of someone being mauled by a bear or falling into a crevasse, I mean, these were often people that were going about their daily lives.
"They weren't out on some grand adventure and yet ultimately, they disappeared for no good reason."
It's not just hikers and the odd car that goes missing in the 'Alaskan Triangle,' entire planes have gone down in mysterious circumstances. Last week 10 people were killed when their small plane crashed into ice on the Bering Sea.
The Bering Air single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. It was found the next day after an extensive search with all nine passengers and the pilot dead, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years.
But that was just the latest in a long line of tragic incidents. In 1950, a military aircraft disappeared carrying 44 people. A massive search was launched but no trace was ever found.
In another incident in 1972, the private plane of US House Majority Leader Hale Boggs went missing. Again no trace was found. Certain missing person cases have baffled investigators for decades.
In 2011, mountain rescuer Gerald DeBerry disappeared in the White Mountains while searching for a missing woman. His vehicle was later found but he was never seen again.
Amid this pattern of disappearances, legends of the Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, resurfaced. Another local legend describes a creature known as Nantinaq. It is a giant, hairy creature from Alaskan folklore similar to Bigfoot. According to the story, it terrorized the town of Portlock, Alaska in the 1940s, eventually forcing the villagers to abandon the town and flee.
“With so much fantastic habitat and so few people to compete with, Sasquatches basically have the run of Alaska," said cryptozoologist Cliff Barackman to The Daily Star.
