Colares UFO Attacks and Operation Prato
On the Brazilian island of Colares near the Amazon delta, residents reported being struck by focused beams of light from unidentified aerial objects. The Brazilian Air Force launched Operation Prato (1977-1978), documenting over 1,000 pages of reports, sketches, and maps, plus more than 500 photographs and 15 hours of film.
Dr. Wellaide Cecim Carvalho, the sole physician at Colares hospital from December 1976 to December 1977, treated approximately 40 patients presenting with UAP-related injuries. Documented symptoms included: first-degree burns covering 10-20 cm areas (primarily on the chest), micro-drilled puncture marks, immediate skin peeling resembling alopecia, asthenia (weakness), dizziness, generalized tremors, low blood pressure, and anemia with reduced hemoglobin levels. Patients reported immediate immobilization upon beam contact, with the beam approximately 7-8 cm in diameter, described as white and intensely hot.
On 1 November 1977, Brazilian Air Force personnel and a helicopter crew witnessed a luminous object emitting intense blue-green light with a pulsating red semicircle, maneuvering at 3,000-6,000 meters altitude. When a military helicopter took off, the object briefly followed before departing. On 18 October 1977, a woman experienced a light beam traversing her body, causing temporary paralysis, puncture wounds, and localized burns confirmed by forensic examination.
The AAWSAP CAPELLA database contains 356 case records from the Operation Prato files plus journalist Bob Pratt's extensive field research (15 separate trips, dozens of military and civilian witness interviews). Jacques Vallee independently documented at least five deaths in the Parnarama region of central Brazil linked to encounters with box-shaped UAPs emitting powerful light beams.
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Background
Beginning in late 1977, the small fishing community of Colares, an island at the mouth of the Amazon River in the Brazilian state of Pará, experienced an intense wave of UFO encounters unlike any recorded elsewhere. Residents reported luminous objects directing narrow beams of light at people, leaving burn marks, puncture-like wounds, and symptoms consistent with radiation exposure.
The Incident Residents of Colares reported luminous objects of various shapes descending at night. These objects directed narrow beams of light at people, typically described as white and roughly seven to eight centimetres in diameter. The beams produced a sensation compared to a cigarette burn.
Investigation Local authorities, overwhelmed by reports and visible injuries, requested assistance from the Brazilian Air Force. A team led by Captain Uyrangê Hollanda was dispatched from the air force base in Belém. The investigation, codenamed Operation Prato, ran from October 1977 through January 1978.
Evidence Collected - Intelligence agents interviewed hundreds of witnesses across Colares and approximately thirty surrounding villages. - Compiled thousands of testimonies. - Approximately five hundred photographs. - Fifteen hours of film footage.
Official Conclusion The official conclusion attributed the phenomena to unusual atmospheric conditions and suggested mass hysteria among the population. The investigation was closed and its findings classified.
Revelations and Declassification For two decades, the case remained largely confined to Brazilian ufology circles. In 1997, Captain Hollanda broke his silence in interviews with researcher A. J. Gevaerd, stating the objects were real and his team had been unable to identify them. Hollanda died under disputed circumstances shortly after. Portions of the Operation Prato files were later declassified, revealing military photographs and witness sketches that corroborated civilian accounts.
Elizondo's Account
In his memoir Imminent (2024), Luis Elizondo provides previously undisclosed details about the Colares events based on classified AAWSAP files. According to Elizondo, the Brazilian military documented incidents across 371 separate locations, producing over 3,500 classified files. The attacks reportedly resulted in 10 fatalities and 18 alleged abductions. Dr. Wellaide Cecim Carvalho, a local physician, documented radiation-like burns and puncture wounds on affected residents, with some victims displaying unusual blood anomalies. US researcher Robert Pratt later conducted 514 witness interviews in the region. Elizondo notes that Operation Prato commander Colonel Uyrange Hollanda died under disputed circumstances after publicly discussing the events in the late 1990s.
Significance
Colares is unique in UAP history as possibly the only case where unidentified objects allegedly caused documented physical harm to a civilian population, with medical records supporting the injury claims. Operation Prato represents one of the most extensive military investigations into UAP phenomena, and the subsequent partial declassification of its files provided rare official documentation corroborating civilian testimony.