Description
The Varginha incident occurred in January 1996 in and around the city of Varginha in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is widely regarded as one of the most significant UAP events in South America, both for the number of independent witnesses and for the subsequent claims of a military cover-up.
According to multiple accounts, on the afternoon of 20 January 1996, three young women reported encountering a strange creature in a vacant lot. They described a humanoid being roughly 1.6 metres tall, with brownish, oily-looking skin, a large head with three protrusions on top, and large red eyes. The creature appeared to be disoriented and unable to move freely. Reports of similar beings were made by other witnesses in the following hours and days.
Local media initially treated the story as a light human-interest tale. However, it soon became apparent that multiple other unusual events had occurred in the Varginha area during the same period: unidentified lights in the sky, the sighting of a strange craft, and reports of military activity — including a cordon around the area where a craft was said to have come down. Witnesses reported that Brazilian Army personnel arrived and removed a creature, which was taken to a local hospital before being transferred elsewhere.
Of particular interest to researchers is the medical testimony gathered in the years following the event. Dr. Roger Leir, an American physician and UAP investigator, interviewed a doctor at the Humanitas Hospital who claimed to have treated one of the recovered beings. According to the doctor, the being — which appeared to have no defined gender — communicated telepathically. It conveyed sorrow that humans were "totally detached" from their spiritual selves. The being was reportedly transferred to another facility in "satisfactory condition" but was said to have died within approximately 24 hours. The craft involved was reportedly taken to a military installation in the United States.
The Brazilian military has officially denied any knowledge of the event. The case remains open, and the combination of multiple independent witnesses, medical testimony, and persistent claims of a military cover-up has kept it central to South American UAP research.
Video Documentation
1996 Case: Sightings — The Varginha Crash, Brazil
Overview of the Varginha UFO incident, in which multiple citizens of Varginha, Brazil reported seeing at least one UFO and one or more strange creatures in 1996. Media reports claimed that extraterrestrial beings were later captured by the Brazilian military.
Dr. Roger Leir — Radiologist's Statement
Dr. Roger Leir, a physician and UAP researcher, presents the medical testimony gathered from a doctor who claimed to have treated one of the recovered beings at the Humanitas Hospital. From the documentary Moment of Contact.
Exclusive New Brazil UFO Evidence | Breaking Points
Krystal and Saagar are joined by James Fox to break down the alleged UFO crash landing site in Brazil and the subsequent claims of a US government cover-up. The Brazil doctor's testimony is presented.
Notes
This case remains under investigation. If you hold documentation relating to the Varginha incident, please contact us via the Report a UAP form.
Additional sources:
- Vitorio Pacaccini explains to James Fox how he managed to see the 35-second video of the Varginha creature (Reddit, 2012)
- Moment of Contact — documentary by James Fox
Further reading: research published by Brazilian UFO investigators including Vitorio Pacaccini and Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues.