Chile: UFO Cases from 1969

Source: UFO Chile (newsletter) Issues 6 and 7 combined

Date: May 1969, Santiago de Chile

 CHILEAN CASES FROM 1969.

January 5 at 4:00 a.m., Viña del Mar. — Carabineros on duty at the Cerro Castillo Presidential Palace saw an incandescent object fall into the sea and settle in the water. Immediately after the incident was reported, a patrol boat headed to the location, finding the water boiling, a strong smell of sulfur, and plant matter possibly originating from the seabed. Several subsequent dives yielded no results. The Montemar Institute of Marine Biology analyzed the plant matter found, stating that it did not consist of seaweed but rather plants that grow in the estuary and had been washed out to sea. The sulfurous odor was attributed to the fact that the vegetation was decomposing. Furthermore, we learned via Radio Portales that a local research group had located the individuals who launched a paper balloon—which likely corresponded to the object seen descending into the sea.

January 14 (or shortly before), 9:00 PM – Cerro Quiñe (Linares Province). Numerous people observed an object resembling a balloon that emitted multicolored lights and maneuvered at high speed in front of Cerro Quiñe. (Source: *La Prensa* of Parral, January 15).

January 19, near Socos (Coquimbo Province, WSW of Ovalle), at 3:00 AM. Two taxi drivers from Ovalle, returning from Guanaqueros, observed two UFOs moving at high speed and low altitude—leaving a luminous trail—upon arriving in Socos (30°40' S, 71°30' W). They stopped their car and turned off the headlights to get a better look. (Source: *El Limarí* of Ovalle, January 21).

January 31, 9:30 AM. Ovalle – Construction workers at a hospital site and several local residents observed a strange circular object descending rapidly, only to rise again. It maneuvered for five minutes, repeating this action several times before disappearing into the cloud cover present at the time. The morning was unusually cloudy. (Source: *El Diario de Ovalle*). February 1st.

February 2nd. 4:40 AM, Las Trancas (Ñuble Province, near the Chillán Hot Springs). A Santiago newspaper linked this incident to UFOs, claiming witnesses saw a fireball rise after being awakened by a noise and finding their cars repositioned and dented, despite having left the electrical circuits disconnected. In response to a letter from UFO-Chile, the witnesses denied the part of the story regarding the fireball; therefore, we are not providing further details on the case—which was strange in any event, but had no evident connection to our subject. (The exact account appeared in the Chillán newspaper *La Discusión* on February 5th).

February 12th, 5:00 PM, 4 miles off the coast, opposite Quintero (Valparaíso Province). We will not provide many details on this case for the time being, due to conflicting accounts. The crew of the fishing boat *Carol* spotted a strange object over the sea, which reportedly split apart and vanished (or sank into the water). A Grumman aircraft was maneuvering near it; however, the Air Force has denied the presence of such aircraft in the area. (Numerous press reports).

March 6th, 9:45 PM, 5 km from the Manantiales Camp (Magallanes Province).

 "PUNTA ARENAS."—An occupant of a flying saucer allegedly left a mark on a vehicle belonging to an official from the National Petroleum Company (ENAP). This strange account was released by Osvaldo Domínguez, the head of the Manantiales Camp in Tierra del Fuego. Domínguez stated that the incident occurred on March 6th, around... At 9:45 PM, while about 5 kilometers from the location, his pickup truck's ignition failed. He got out to inspect the battery when, about 6 meters from his vehicle, he saw a flying saucer hovering in mid-air. He estimated its diameter at approximately 4 meters. The strange object appeared to be made of aluminum.

Domínguez later stated that it was dark. Startled, he grabbed the handle of his vehicle. Suddenly, he saw the vehicle's door open and two shadowy figures step down onto the road. "I couldn't tell if they were human... They were two shadows. One of them advanced toward my vehicle; I asked what they wanted, but they didn't answer."

He later reported that the shadows were approximately 1.60 meters tall. One of them leaned against the left side and left a mark. It consists of three small lines resembling cat scratches, and they are white in color. They are still visible. "After they had been on the ground for a few moments," he said, "I didn't even see them get in. They simply arrived..."reportedly split apart and vanished (or sank into the water). A Grumman aircraft was maneuvering near it; however, the Air Force has denied the presence of such aircraft in the area. (Numerous press reports). March 6th, 9:45 PM, 5 km from the Manantiales Camp (Magallanes Province). "PUNTA ARENAS."—An occupant of a flying saucer allegedly left a mark on a vehicle belonging to an official from the National Petroleum Company (ENAP). This strange account was released by Osvaldo Domínguez, the head of the Manantiales Camp in Tierra del Fuego. Domínguez stated that the incident occurred on March 6th, around... At 9:45 PM, while about 5 kilometers from the location, his pickup truck's ignition failed. He got out to inspect the battery when, about 6 meters from his vehicle, he saw a flying saucer hovering in mid-air. He estimated its diameter at approximately 4 meters. The strange object appeared to be made of aluminum. Domínguez later stated that it was dark. Startled, he grabbed the handle of his vehicle. Suddenly, he saw the vehicle's door open and two shadowy figures step down onto the road. "I couldn't tell if they were human... They were two shadows. One of them advanced toward my vehicle; I asked what they wanted, but they didn't answer." He later reported that the shadows were approximately 1.60 meters tall. One of them leaned against the left side and left a mark. It consists of three small lines resembling cat scratches, and they are white in color. They are still visible. "After they had been on the ground for a few moments," he said, "I didn't even see them get in. They simply arrived..."

The UFO remained next to the Calama Municipality vehicle for approximately 10 minutes. Then, according to architect Contreras himself, the object ascended into the sky. However, before disappearing, the UFO transformed into a "cluster" of lights of various colors.

The architect himself dismissed the possibility that it was a radiosonde; as such devices do not ascend into the sky after descending.

 This is not the first UFO sighted in the El Loa Department. Last year, a family also observed a luminous object that followed their car as they were heading to the Calama airport. (Sources: *La Estrella del Norte* of Antofagasta, March 19; *El Mercurio* of Calama, March 20; and *La Estrella de Iquique*, March 20).

March 31: False alarm. According to *El Tarapacá* of Iquique (April 11 issue), a shining object was spotted on the slopes of "El Dragón" hill. A military jeep was sent to investigate, and it was discovered to be a truck wheel.

Mid-April, about 6 km from Pichidangui (i.e., approx. 32°13' S and 71°32' W). According to the Ovalle newspaper *La Provincia* (April 17 issue), several nights earlier, two traveling salespeople were driving a pickup truck from La Calera toward Ovalle. Shortly before reaching Pichidangui—around 11:00 PM—a blinding light suddenly illuminated the road, first with a sort of luminous explosion that was violet and then white. The pickup truck... ...it came to a halt, and the driver and his passenger were left paralyzed, unable to move for roughly a minute, until the dim light returned and they could see a luminous, mushroom-shaped object—its form blurred by the flashes it emitted—rising at high speed. Astonishment and terror were etched on their faces when they arrived in Ovalle. They recount that they could not explain why the pickup truck had stopped, as it started up again immediately upon the first attempt to get it moving.

April 13–14, 9:00 PM, near Cullón (Magallanes Province, Tierra del Fuego).—Antonio Damianovic, a well-known merchant from Magallanes and a former athlete, observed an object resembling a full moon—white with pink lights—moving vertically and then horizontally before suddenly disappearing upwards. His daughter, son-in-law, and a shepherd were also with him. The sighting recurred the following day at the same time, lasting 30 minutes and involving similar movements and positions, though the object vanished in just 5 seconds.