There seem to be severe distortions in the earth's electromagnetic field in that part of the world that can play havoc with sensitive instruments, and maybe even our brains, causing halucinations and sabotaging our ability to make rational decisions, causing people to get lost, wreck, or dive their planes into the sea.
The weirdest cases though are ship abandonments. I'm not sure how an electromagnetic storm could cause people to jump off their boats in mid-meal and drown.