On January 4th, 2013, approximately at 11am, a twin engine plane BN-2 Islander (built in 1968) took off from the resort of Los Roques –– a coral reef of 350 palm fringed islands in the Caribbean –– heading 87 miles (140km) south to Caracas in Venezuela carrying Italian fashion mogul Vittorio Missoni and five others seems to have disappeared over open sea. A hotel owner on the islands said he last saw the plane entering a bank of clouds, and Venezuela’s civil aviation authority said the aircraft’s last recorded position was 11 miles (18km) south of Los Roques. Speculation about the cause included mechanical failure and kidnapping by drug smugglers, while some people blamed the ‘Los Roques Curse’.
Over the past decade, an unexplained phenomena called 'Los Roques Curse' has been attached to the area between the Caribbean archipelago of Los Roques and the Venezuelan capital Caracas, 140km to the south which blamed for series of mysterious plane crashes and disappearances. This phenomena also compared to the notorious Bermuda Triangle.
Since the mid-1990s, there have been at least 15 reported incidents in which small aircraft have crashed, disappeared or declared emergencies while travelling in the area.
In 2008, 14 people were killed when a plane making the same journey as Missoni’s crashed into the sea. No wreckage was ever found and only one body was recovered. Some have blamed pilot error or the release of methane hydrates from the sea floor. More fanciful commentators have pointed the finger at aliens living beneath the waves or souls from Atlantis.
Over the past decade, an unexplained phenomena called 'Los Roques Curse' has been attached to the area between the Caribbean archipelago of Los Roques and the Venezuelan capital Caracas, 140km to the south which blamed for series of mysterious plane crashes and disappearances. This phenomena also compared to the notorious Bermuda Triangle.
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| Los Roques Curse |
Since the mid-1990s, there have been at least 15 reported incidents in which small aircraft have crashed, disappeared or declared emergencies while travelling in the area.
In 2008, 14 people were killed when a plane making the same journey as Missoni’s crashed into the sea. No wreckage was ever found and only one body was recovered. Some have blamed pilot error or the release of methane hydrates from the sea floor. More fanciful commentators have pointed the finger at aliens living beneath the waves or souls from Atlantis.
No clue as to the fate of the plane carrying Missoni turned up until about 24 January, when a German tourist walking along the rocky north coast of the Dutch island of Curaçao – about 200 miles (320km) west of Los Roques – found a bag. It belonged to an Italian who missed the flight but whose luggage was on board the plane.
Italy’s air safety agency said the pilot had an expired medical fitness certificate and the company operating the aircraft was not yet authorized to fly. However, the agency said neither factor was yet being blamed for the disappearance. Seven minutes after take-off the pilot reported that he was at 5,000ft (1,524m) and 10 nautical miles from the Los Roques airport, according to the agency. The last radar readings showed the aircraft accelerating at 5,400ft (1.646m) before it quickly lost altitude and speed, veering to the right until it disappeared.
Sources:
Fortean Times Magazine Vol.299 April 2013 "New Bermuda Triangle - Another aircraft vanishes: are submarine aliens to blame?" ;
Italy’s air safety agency said the pilot had an expired medical fitness certificate and the company operating the aircraft was not yet authorized to fly. However, the agency said neither factor was yet being blamed for the disappearance. Seven minutes after take-off the pilot reported that he was at 5,000ft (1,524m) and 10 nautical miles from the Los Roques airport, according to the agency. The last radar readings showed the aircraft accelerating at 5,400ft (1.646m) before it quickly lost altitude and speed, veering to the right until it disappeared.
Sources:
Fortean Times Magazine Vol.299 April 2013 "New Bermuda Triangle - Another aircraft vanishes: are submarine aliens to blame?" ;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2258807/How-Italian-fashion-heir-vanished-new-Bermuda-Triangle-Missoni-wife-missing-cursed-flight-path-seen-FIFTEEN-planes-disappear-20-years.html;
http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/jan/07/los-roques-the-new-bermuda-triangle
Pic Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2258807/How-Italian-fashion-heir-vanished-new-Bermuda-Triangle-Missoni-wife-missing-cursed-flight-path-seen-FIFTEEN-planes-disappear-20-years.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/jan/07/los-roques-the-new-bermuda-triangle
Pic Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2258807/How-Italian-fashion-heir-vanished-new-Bermuda-Triangle-Missoni-wife-missing-cursed-flight-path-seen-FIFTEEN-planes-disappear-20-years.html
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