The Colares UFO Attacks

In the fall of 1977, the small island community of Colares in northern Brazil experienced something unprecedented: a sustained UFO assault on its population. Night after night, strange craft appeared in the sky and directed beams of light at residents, leaving burn marks, paralysis, and what appeared to be puncture wounds for blood extraction. The events became so severe that the Brazilian Air Force launched Operation Prato to investigate. What they found—and what happened to those involved—makes the Colares incident one of the most disturbing UFO cases on record.

The Setting

Colares Island

Colares is a small island municipality in the Brazilian state of Pará, located in the Amazon River delta near the city of Belém. In 1977, it was home to approximately 2,000 people, mostly fishermen and their families living in simple homes without electricity.

The community was isolated, traditional, and deeply religious. The people of Colares had little exposure to UFO lore or science fiction. They lived in rhythm with the river and the seasons, as their ancestors had for generations.

They were utterly unprepared for what began in October 1977.

The Attacks Begin

October 1977

The first reports came from fishermen working at night. They described strange lights in the sky—not stars or aircraft, but objects that moved with purpose, stopping, hovering, and sometimes descending toward the water.

Then the lights began targeting people.

The Beam Attacks:

Witnesses described a consistent pattern:

1. A bright light would appear overhead
2. The light would descend, sometimes revealing a craft behind it
3. A beam of intense light would strike the victim
4. The victim would feel paralyzed, burned, and weakened
5. The light would retract and the craft would move away

Those attacked reported:

• Intense heat from the beam
• Inability to move or cry out
• Puncture wounds on their skin, particularly on the neck, chest, and arms
• Burn marks in geometric patterns
• Blood appearing to be extracted from the puncture sites
• Extreme weakness lasting hours to days
• In some cases, permanent scarring

The Local Names

The people of Colares developed their own terminology for the phenomenon:

“Chupa-Chupa” (Sucker-Sucker) — The primary name, referring to the apparent blood extraction

“Luz vampira” (Vampire light) — The beams that drained victims

“Aparelho” (Device) — The craft themselves

The Panic

As attacks continued night after night, panic spread through Colares:

• Families began sleeping in groups, believing safety in numbers
• Men kept fires burning all night (the “chupa-chupa” seemed to avoid fire)
• Some residents banged pots and pans to frighten away the lights
• The village doctor was overwhelmed with patients showing strange injuries
• Several people died from shock or complications from their wounds
• The local priest conducted continuous prayers and blessings

The Victims

Documented Cases

Researchers have documented numerous victims. Some examples:

Claudomira Paixão: Attacked in her home on October 18, 1977. She awoke to a greenish beam of light penetrating her roof. The light struck her chest, and she felt an intense burning sensation. She screamed but couldn’t move. Her family found her with burn marks on her left breast and puncture wounds. She suffered weakness and anemia for months afterward.

Rosimar Mendes: A young woman attacked multiple times. She described seeing a figure—humanoid but not human—inside the beam. The being seemed to be directing the light. She bore scars from the encounters for the rest of her life.

Multiple Fishermen: Groups of fishermen were attacked on the water. They described craft rising from the river itself before directing lights at their boats. Those struck were often unable to fish for weeks due to weakness.

The Children: Most disturbingly, children were not spared. Several minors were attacked, suffering burns and the same puncture wounds as adults.

Medical Documentation

Dr. Wellaide Cecim Carvalho, the local physician, treated the victims and documented their injuries:

Physical Findings:

• Small puncture wounds, typically 1-2mm in diameter
• Burn marks, sometimes in triangular or circular patterns
• Signs consistent with blood loss
• Radiation-burn-like injuries
• Symptoms similar to radiation exposure

Dr. Carvalho’s Statement: “I treated approximately 35 patients claiming to have been attacked. All had similar injuries: puncture marks, burns, anemia. These were not psychiatric cases—these were physical injuries. Something was actually attacking these people.”

Operation Prato

The Military Investigation

As reports reached Belém and then Brasília, the Brazilian Air Force decided to investigate. In November 1977, Operation Prato (Operation Saucer) was launched under the command of Captain Uyrangê Hollanda Lima.

The Mission:

• Document the phenomena
• Gather witness testimony
• Photograph and film the craft if possible
• Determine if the phenomenon posed a threat to national security
• Develop defensive recommendations

The Investigation

Captain Hollanda and his team arrived in Colares and set up observation posts. They interviewed hundreds of witnesses and examined victims.

What they encountered exceeded their expectations.

The Team’s Observations:

• They photographed and filmed craft on multiple occasions
• They observed objects of various shapes: cylindrical, triangular, disc-shaped
• Some craft were small (2-3 meters), others enormous (hundreds of meters)
• The craft demonstrated technologies far beyond current capabilities
• On at least one occasion, a craft approached the military observers

Hollanda’s Later Interviews: Years after the operation, Captain Hollanda gave interviews describing what he witnessed:

“We saw the objects. We photographed them. They were real. They were not from this Earth… I watched a beam of light come from one craft and strike a tree. The tree burst into flames. These were not hallucinations.”

“Some of the craft seemed curious about us. They would hover and watch. Others were aggressive—they would approach quickly, as if testing our response.”

The Files

Operation Prato generated hundreds of pages of documentation:

• Photographs (some released, many still classified)
• Film footage
• Witness interviews
• Medical reports
• Technical analyses

The official conclusion was never publicly released. The files were classified.

In 2004, after years of pressure from UFO researchers, the Brazilian Air Force released portions of the Operation Prato files. They confirmed:

• The investigation had occurred
• Craft had been observed and documented
• No explanation had been found

Many files remain classified to this day.

The Aftermath

Captain Hollanda’s Fate

Captain Uyrangê Hollanda Lima completed his military career and retired. In 1997, he gave extensive interviews to Brazilian UFO researchers, describing Operation Prato and his belief that the craft were extraterrestrial.

On October 2, 1997—just months after his most detailed interviews—Captain Hollanda was found dead in his home. The official cause: suicide by hanging.

Many researchers question this verdict:

• Hollanda had been energetic and enthusiastic in his interviews
• He had planned to continue revealing information
• The timing was suspiciously convenient for those who wanted the story suppressed
• He had expressed concern about “being silenced”

His death remains officially a suicide. Many believe otherwise.

The Victims

The people of Colares carried the scars—physical and psychological—for the rest of their lives:

• Many bore permanent burn marks and scars
• Some developed chronic health problems
• Psychological trauma was widespread
• Several victims died prematurely
• The community never fully recovered

The Phenomenon Today

While the intense attacks ended in early 1978, strange lights continue to be reported in the Colares region:

• Fishermen still see unexplained objects over the water
• Occasional attacks are reported, though less severe
• The area remains a hotspot for Brazilian UFO researchers
• Local people maintain a wary respect for the phenomenon

Theories and Explanations

What Were They?

Extraterrestrial Hypothesis: The most common interpretation: the craft were operated by non-human intelligences. The attacks may have been:

• Scientific study/sample collection
• Energy extraction
• Something incomprehensible to human minds

Ultraterrestrial Theory: Beings from another dimension or reality, temporarily visible in our world.

Secret Military Technology: Some skeptics suggest experimental aircraft were responsible. However:

• No nation possessed such technology in 1977
• The attacks served no apparent military purpose
• The Brazilian military itself investigated as baffled observers

Natural Phenomena: Ball lightning, swamp gas, or plasma formations have been suggested. These fail to explain:

• The physical injuries
• The consistent witness descriptions
• The craft’s apparent intelligence and purpose

Mass Hysteria: Perhaps fear and suggestion created the reports. This doesn’t account for:

• Physical injuries documented by physicians
• Military observations
• Photographic evidence

The Disturbing Possibility

What if the attacks were exactly what they appeared to be—an unknown intelligence extracting biological material from a defenseless population?

If so, why Colares? Why 1977-78? And why did it largely stop?

These questions have no satisfying answers.

Legacy

The Most Hostile UFO Case

The Colares incident stands apart from other UFO cases:

• The craft weren’t merely observed—they attacked
• Injuries were widespread and documented
• Deaths may have resulted
• The government investigated and took it seriously
• Evidence suggests a deliberate campaign against a civilian population

The Lesson of Colares

If there are non-human intelligences visiting Earth, the Colares incident suggests they are not necessarily benevolent. For months, something terrorized an isolated community, treating human beings as subjects for whatever purpose it served.

The people of Colares didn’t ask to be contacted. They didn’t invite the phenomenon. They simply lived their lives until something from the sky decided to make them victims.

The Questions

• Why were the people of Colares targeted?
• What was being extracted, and for what purpose?
• Where did the craft come from?
• Why did the attacks eventually decrease?
• What does the Brazilian government know that remains classified?
• What really happened to Captain Hollanda?

The lights still appear over the Amazon delta. The fishermen still watch the sky with fear. And somewhere, perhaps, something remembers where it found easy prey.

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For four months, the people of Colares Island lived in terror of the lights in the sky. The “chupa-chupa” came night after night, burning and draining those who couldn’t escape. The Brazilian Air Force documented everything and then classified the files. Captain Hollanda died after revealing what he knew. And the mystery of what attacked Colares—and why—remains unsolved.