Could explain disappearance of ships in notorious Bermuda Triangle

A discovery of giant underwater craters at the bottom of Barents Sea could offer a viable explanation to the disappearance of ships in the Bermuda Triangle.

Scientists have found craters up to half a mile wide and 150ft deep, believed to have been caused by build-ups of methane off the coast of natural gas-rich Norway.

The methane would have leaked from deposits of natural gas further below the surface and created cavities which finally bursts, scientists say.

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Big boom: Scientists have found craters up to half a mile wide and 150ft deep in Barents Sea, believed to have been caused by build-ups of methane off the coast of natural gas-rich Norway (stock image)

'Multiple giant craters exist on the sea floor in an area in the west-central Barents Sea ... and are probably a cause of enormous blowouts of gas,' said researchers from the Arctic University of Norway told the Sunday Times.

'The crater area is likely to represent one of the largest hotspots for shallow marine methane release in the Arctic.'

The explosions causing the craters to open up could potentially pose risks to vessels travelling on Barents Sea, scientists say.

Mystery: Scientists believe similar methane craters could explain loss of ships in the Bermuda Triangle

Discovery: Scientists found the giant craters on the sea floor in an area in the west-central Barents Sea

It could also possibly explain the loss of ships and aircraft in the controversial area referred to as the Bermuda Triangle, according to the experts.

The area stretches from the British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean to the Florida coast, to Puerto Rico.

Russian scientist Igor Yeltsov, the deputy head of the Trofimuk Institute, said last year: 'There is a version that the Bermuda Triangle is a consequence of gas hydrates reactions.

'They start to actively decompose with methane ice turning into gas. It happens in an avalanche-like way, like a nuclear reaction, producing huge amounts of gas.