From “Why Has Part of the Alaskan Wilderness Become Known as the Bermuda Triangle?” by Cristen Conger

Even the native Alaska Tlingit Indians that live near Juneau have integrated this peculiar mystery into their religious culture. They believe an evil spirit named Kushtaka, a cross between a man and an otter, captures people who have drowned or gotten lost, whisking them away to his realm never to be seen again.

Evil spirits or not, the rate of people reported missing in Alaska is almost twice the national average. While many cases involve runaways or people who return home, Alaska also has the highest percentage of missing people who are never found [source: Tizon].

In 2007, Alaska state troopers added 2,833 missing person notices to their Missing Persons Clearinghouse that maintains all related information [source: Alaska Governor’s Office]. In a state with just over 670,000 residents, that figure averages out to about four in every 1,000 people.

Along with missing persons reports, state troopers oversee search and rescue operations. In 2007, they performed 42 missions related to overdue hikers, 85 related to overdue boaters and 100 related to overdue snow machine operators who were temporarily missing [source: Alaska Governor’s Office]. The Civil Air Service also assists with search and rescue missions, and Alaska’s branch received the most state funding and saved the most lives in 2006 out of all other state branches [source: Civil Air Service].

Why are so many people becoming lost or stranded, sometimes forever, in Alaska? Is a Kushtaka spirit skulking in the wild or is Mother Nature to blame?

What effect do the numbers and statistics have in this piece?
A.
They support the claim that there must be an unexplained force in Alaska that is causing people to go missing.
B.
They are meant to refute the claim that a mystical force is to blame for people who go missing in Alaska.
C.
They are meant to illustrate the supreme efficiency of Alaska’s Civil Air Service.
D.
They establish and support the claim that Alaska has an exceptionally high rate of missing persons.
E.
They support the claim that Alaska is a frightening environment with many unexplained phenomena.