1965: Torrent, Corrientes, Argentina Encounter

THINK ABOUTIT SIGHTING REPORT

Date:  January 1965

Sighting Time:  

Day/Night:  Night

Location:  Torrent, Corrientes, Argentina

Urban or Rural:  Rural

No. of Entity(‘s):  five 

Entity Type:  Martians

Entity Description:  approximately 2.4 meters tall, each one having only one single eye in the center of the face, and devices emitting multicolored flashes of light on their heads.

Hynek Classification:  CE-IV (Close Encounter IV) Abduction of the witness or other direct contact

Duration:  One or two minutes.

No. of Object(s):  6

Height & Speed:  

Size of Object(s):  

Distance to Object(s):  

Shape of Object(s):  

Color/Description of Object(s):  1 transparent, 5 luminous

Number of Witnesses:  Multiple

Source:  

Summary/Description:  This case, in the various versions, was claimed to have occurred at the beginning of 1965, in January 1965, on January 21, 1965, on January 31, 1965, on the end of January 1965, in February 1965, at the beginning of February 1965, in the first week of February 1965, on the 1st of February 1965, on February 4, 1965, on February 6, 1965, on February 11, 1965, but it probably occurred between January 1st and 2nd, 1965.

The Press versions of the time said that a man of Torrent, Corrientes, Argentina, had his neighbors come out to observe five luminous objects which flew over the place. Then, a transparent craft landed, five “Martians” came out of it, approximately 2 meters tall, each one having only one single eye in the center of the face, and devices emitting multicolored flashes of light on their heads.

These “Martians” entered a farm and tried to grab a man, but the determined villagers forced them to flee. They reportedly came back on February 6, seen by many people, still trying to grab a man and failing again as the man gave the alarm and the villagers came out in numbers and fired against the “Martians”, apparently without effect. Another version indicated that it was in January 1965 one evening, that it was about passers-by who suddenly were confronted to small beings and were frightened, ran towards their houses, and locked themselves up, but “a light entered, through the wooden walls, illuminating all the inside.” One Carlos Souriou, who had barricaded himself with several people including his younger brother, had stated that the latter had become almost insane from the fright, that he had a nervous breakdown and the other witnesses surrounded him with boxes so that he does not see the light.

Another report says it occurred in a field owned by Mr. Souriou, that two of his sons and several farmworkers encountered huge creatures more than 2.40 meters tall. One of the farmworkers had his arm paralyzed when it tried to attack the creatures, and the automatic rifle of one of the owner’s sons inexplicably did not function. A counter-investigation lead by ufologist Roberto Banchs in the years 1980’s made it possible to hear the version of local people and to establish that the story had been grossly exaggerated at the time by a journalist, Rodrigo de Riana, in the Cronica Matutina for February 10, 1965, as he embroidered around the already sensationalized version of a farmworker who was involved. Thus, Carlos Souriau explained that there was a great panic and that he is not really sure of what was actually seen, although something was indeed seen. It was in the night, and he suddenly saw a big creature, of one meter or little more, with a large head and a light on the head. It was within 100 meters, or 30, 50, or 100 meters, he could not be sure because in the field, and by night, it could have been any distance.

A farmworker alerted other farmworkers who were in a house, all saw these beings, who were several, and small. The farmworkers who were in the house came out, saw them, went back inside.

There were no flying saucers, neither traces, nor paralyzed arm or attempt to grab a man, this being certainly the invention of one of the farmworkers on which it was embroidered, and from other people who had not been witnesses of the event. His brother Carlos Souriau, interviewed Roberto Banchs, explained that he did not witness the event but heard the account of his brother. It was then frequent to see strange things and to talk of flying saucers, and in this case, what was seen were lights on the ground, not flying saucers, then these beings were ported, initially believed to be small, then tall, because the distances were not quite appraisable, and that one interpreted these lights sometimes as being on the head, sometimes as being on the belts, of the beings. These lights were in the distance in a sector with trees, and he does not remember of any attempt by the witnesses to repel an invasion with weapons, something that was perhaps told at the time, with an episode of a not functioning rifle, perhaps simply because of the fear. No creature tried to grab a villager, Carlos Souriau remembers only that his younger brother Mario Alejandro had indeed been very frightened.

The observation probably lasted one or two minutes. He confirms that something indeed occurred, but without flying saucers, rather weak lights on the ground, of the flashlights kind, in the distance, without any confrontation, and without happening again another evening.