What was Brazil's Operation Saucer (Operação Prato) and why is the 1977 Colares incident considered one of the most significant UFO cases in history?
Operation Saucer was a Brazilian military investigation of intense UFO activity in the Colares region of Pará state in 1977, considered one of the most extraordinary UFO cases due to documented physical attacks on civilians by unidentified craft emitting focused energy beams that caused burns, puncture marks, and temporary paralysis.
Over 2,000 people reported encounters during the months-long wave, with many requiring medical treatment for injuries including circular burns, puncture wounds, and symptoms resembling radiation exposure. The Brazilian military documented the phenomena with photographs, witness interviews, medical reports, and official documentation under Colonel Uyrangê Hollanda's leadership.
The case's significance lies in its duration, multiple witnesses across different communities, physical evidence including medical documentation of injuries, and official military investigation that confirmed the reality of the encounters. Colonel Hollanda later publicly confirmed the authenticity of the phenomena before his mysterious death, and the Brazilian government eventually released some classified documents related to the investigation, making it one of the best-documented cases of apparent aggressive UFO behavior toward civilians.