UFO Crash/Retrievals in Chile
by Raúl Núñez
On October 7, 1998 at 15:45 hours, residents of Paihuano, a small
village in Valle de Elquí (Chile) underwent an extraordinary experience which
keep its 2,500 residents on the edge of their seats. A flying object described
as having a metallic color and measuring some 15 meters across remained
motionless over the Las Mollacas hill, from which the entire town could be
seen.
The object began to rise and abruptly made a sudden turn that split it
in two before the awestruck witnesses. One part of the object fell on hill’s
peak and the other behind it. Accounts collected on the field by this
correspondent among the many persons who witnessed the uncanny event lead us to
consider the following events: a) the object witnessed was metallic (silvery);
b) the sun’s rays reflected off its structure, aiding its visibility; c) Its
shape was elongated; d) it remained on the summit of the hill throughout the
afternoon of Wednesday the 7th, Thursday the 8th and Friday the 9th, when it
was removed by personnel in uniform; e) all of the townsfolk, including mayor
Lorenzo Torres, witnessed the event; f) earthquakes were registered after the
object fell to the ground; g) electric blackouts covered the entire region; h)
radio and TV broadcasts throughout Paihuano, Pisco Elquí and Monte Grande (two
neighboring towns) were disrupted.
In view of the alarm caused by the event, a detachment of Carabineros
(Chilean militarized police) looked at the object through binoculars and made
an effort to reach the area on horseback after confirming the events described
by the locals. The rocky soil, composed of sedimentary stone, made getting to
the top an arduous affair–it is known that several efforts were made to reach
the top and that one of the animals died during the operation. Furthermore,
communications between the police forces and their base were successfully
intercepted: the law enforcement agents stated that they had found nothing on
the summit, but that “comments would be made after the descent.”
This transmission was sent by means of “Condor One”, the
special code employed by local police only in very special cases, and it is the
first and only instance of the Carabineros taking part in this matter. 24 hours
later, this unit was relieved military personnel dispatched to the area to take
charge of the investigation. Independent researchers carried out a survey among
the local population to confirm in detail all of the information on what
transpired as of the moment that the military forces cordoned off the area.
A Military Operation
Military personnel did not restrict its investigation to the residents
of Paihuano–it extended the operation to cover the neighboring towns of Pisco
Elquí and Monte Grande, aside from “combing” nearby hills to expel
the local muleteers. This correspondent’s investigation, conducted jointly with
military analyst and local researcher Roderick Bowen, was able to ascertain
that local hotels reported an increase in the demand for lodging by U.S
citizens who in all instances claimed to be tourists.
On Friday, October 9, several eyewitnesses described the arrival of
trucks bearing uniformed personnel. Residents of the sector nearest the hill,
including the goatherds who customarily make use of secondary alternative
routes, were issued orders to refrain from ascending the hill and to stay away
from the location.
A goatherd who was in the rear of Las Mollacas, and who will not state
his name for fear of reprisals, claims having seen the arrival of unmarked
helicopters. These vehicles worked tirelessly from midnight until the early
hours of Friday the 9th to hoist the object on metallic nets. It was
subsequently installed in containers which were dragged to the positions
occupied by large trucks belonging to the armed forces.
Researcher Patricio Díaz, who lives in the area, managed to collect
several accounts from locals who described the nocturnal operations of these
unmarked choppers as they lit vast part of the hill and recovered the strange
object on its summit, which shined intensely throughout Thursday the 8th before
the startled eyes of Paihuano’s residents. Omar Prieto, manager of the
“Gabriela Mistral” tourist resort in the town of Pisco Elquí, stated
the following: “I had the chance to see it with my own eyes. It was
something like the wing of an airplane, everyone could see it. It remained on
the hill for 2 1/2 days. After that, it disappeared during the night and there
was no further information. Soldiers and members of the Carabineros kept us
from going up the hill. Strange things are always going on here, such as
blackouts or TV interference. We don’t know why.”
The site used by the military as their base is known as “La
Palmilla” and is located on the slopes of the hill. The tread marks left
behind by heavy trucks were in evidence the day after the object was collected,
and intense activity was also reported behind the hill. One witness claimed
that there was a large cleft, measuring some 5 meters long and some 40
centimeters deep, surrounded by bootprints and heavy vehicle tracks. This
account was confirmed hours later by researchers Patricio Díaz, Luis Sánchez
Perry, Miguel Jordán and Roderick Bowen, members of ESIO (Equipo Superior de
Investigaciones Ovnilógicas), who visited the area to conduct field research.
As of Monday the 12th, persons climbing to the summit of Las Mollacas
find stones painted the color of aluminum, clearly giving the appearance of
being some sort of premeditated disinformation effort. Surprising hypotheses
were aired to explain the strange glare–discarded beverage bottles, or an
optical effect caused by sunlight.
[Translation (c) 2003, 2023 Inexplicata]
