Varginha UFO Incident

January 20, 1996 — Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Sighting

On the afternoon of January 20, 1996, three young women — Liliane and Valquiria da Silva and their friend Katia Xavier — encountered a strange creature while walking through the Jardim Andere neighborhood of Varginha, Brazil. They described a dark brown, oily-skinned being approximately 5 feet tall, with a large head, huge red eyes, thin body, and three protuberances on its head. The being appeared to be injured or disoriented.

Military Response

According to numerous witnesses, the Brazilian Army and local firefighters conducted operations over several days to capture one or more beings in the area. Military trucks were observed entering the area, and witnesses reported soldiers carrying covered stretchers. The military officially denied any unusual operations, but the number of independent witnesses describing military activity was substantial.

Hospital Reports

Several hospital staff at the Regional Hospital of Varginha reported that a strange creature was brought in by military personnel and treated before being transferred. A military policeman, Marco Eli Cherese, who reportedly handled one of the beings, died within weeks under mysterious circumstances — officially from a bacterial infection, though his family disputed this explanation.

Investigation

Brazilian ufologist Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues conducted an extensive investigation, interviewing over 60 witnesses. The case became known as "Brazil's Roswell" and generated enormous public interest. While some skeptics have proposed mundane explanations (including a mentally disabled local man), these explanations fail to account for the military response, the multiple independent witnesses, and the hospital testimony. The Varginha incident remains Brazil's most famous UFO case.