The Colares UFO Flap: Operation Prato

Between 1977 and 1978, the island of Colares and surrounding areas in the Brazilian state of Pará experienced an extraordinary wave of UFO sightings and alleged attacks. The phenomena were so intense and disturbing that the Brazilian Air Force launched a formal investigation called Operation Prato (Operation Plate). The incident remains one of the most significant military UFO investigations in history.

The Setting

Colares is a small island in the mouth of the Amazon River, accessible only by boat, with a population of a few thousand people at the time. The isolated community lived by fishing and small-scale agriculture. Most residents had little access to television or other media that might suggest UFO ideas.

Beginning in late 1977, residents began reporting strange lights in the sky. These sightings rapidly escalated into something far more frightening: objects that appeared to attack people with beams of light.

The Attacks

Residents described being struck by beams of light from hovering objects, typically at night. The beams caused burning sensations, puncture-like wounds, and a feeling that blood was being extracted. Victims described paralysis, dizziness, and weakness following the attacks.

Medical personnel at the local health post documented injuries: circular burns and puncture marks on the chest, often over the heart. Some victims developed anemia and showed what doctors described as symptoms consistent with blood loss.

The objects responsible were described variously as cylindrical, disc-shaped, or spherical, often brightly illuminated. They moved silently and hovered over houses before projecting beams downward. Witnesses called them “chupa-chupa” (sucker-sucker) for their alleged blood-draining attacks.

Community Response

The community was terrified. People lit bonfires and gathered in groups at night for protection. Fishermen refused to go out after dark. Some residents fled the island entirely. Local authorities were overwhelmed by reports.

The situation attracted attention from Brazilian newspapers and eventually the military. The scale and consistency of reports, combined with documented injuries, demanded investigation.

Operation Prato

The Brazilian Air Force launched Operation Prato in September 1977, under the command of Captain Uyrangê Hollanda. The investigation was unusually extensive, involving observation posts, photographic documentation, and systematic collection of witness testimony.

The Air Force team photographed numerous objects over several months. They documented the injuries to residents and collected testimony from hundreds of witnesses. Captain Hollanda later claimed that his team had close encounters with the objects and that the phenomena were genuine.

The operation’s files remained classified for decades. When partially released in 2004, they revealed extensive documentation including photographs, drawings, and reports describing objects that the investigators could not explain.

The Evidence

The released Operation Prato files included photographs of luminous objects, some showing structured craft. Medical documentation of injuries was extensive. Maps showed the concentration of sightings and attacks in specific areas.

The quality and extent of the documentation distinguishes Colares from many UFO cases. This was a formal military investigation with trained personnel, photographic evidence, and systematic methodology.

Captain Hollanda

Captain Uyrangê Hollanda, who led Operation Prato, gave interviews about the case in the 1990s after his retirement. He described seeing objects himself and stated that he believed the phenomena were real and that the objects were not of human origin.

Tragically, Hollanda committed suicide in 1997, shortly after giving detailed interviews about Operation Prato. Some researchers have suggested his death was connected to the pressure of his knowledge, while others believe it was unrelated to the case.

Skeptical Perspectives

Critics have proposed various explanations for the Colares events. Mass hysteria in an isolated, superstitious community could have generated both sightings and psychosomatic injuries. Some witnesses may have fabricated stories for attention. The released military files may have been selectively edited.

The “chupa-chupa” attacks have been compared to vampire bat activity, which is common in the Amazon region. Bat bites can leave puncture wounds and cause blood loss, potentially explaining the physical symptoms.

Significance

The Colares UFO flap remains significant for several reasons. The military investigation and its documentation provide unusually solid evidence. The physical injuries, documented by medical personnel, add a dimension absent from most UFO cases. The testimony comes from hundreds of independent witnesses.

Whether the Colares events represent genuine anomalous phenomena, misidentified natural events amplified by hysteria, or something else, they constitute one of the most extensively documented UFO incidents in history.