THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE EN

Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle and the Limbo of the Lost, a geographical area of about 3,900,000 sq km (1,500,000 sq mi), between Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Melbourne in Florida (located 55°W to 85°W and 30°N to 40°N), in which there have been numerous unexplained disappearances of ships and aircraft.

The mystery dates back as far as the mid-19th century, with a total of more than 50 ships and 20 aeroplanes having been lost in the Triangle. One of the more notorious cases was the

 disappearance of Flight 19. Five United States torpedo bombers left Fort Lauderdale on December 5, 1945, on a routine training flight in good conditions. None of them returned. Even the seapla

ne that was sent out to find them vanished. Other stories about the region include ships found abandoned with warm food left on the tables and planes that disappear without even making a distress call. The absence of wreckage is often cited as proof of the mysterious power of the Triangle.

Explanations are legion, and include death rays from Atlantis and UFO kidnappings. Less fantastic analyses suggest that fierce currents and deep water could explain the lack of wreckage, and point out that several of the losses attributed to the Bermuda Triangle actually occurred as far as 1,000 km (600 mi) outside it. Furthermore, military and civil craft pass through the region every day without mishap. As deep sea diving techniques improve it is likely that more of the lost vessels will be recovered, but it is equally likely that the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle will linger in the imagination for a long while yet.