Case file · Retrieval claim
'Chilean Roswell', Cerro Las Mollacas
In 1998 rumours spread that a UFO had crashed on Cerro Las Mollacas in the Coquimbo Region and that the military had cordoned off the hill, earning the story the nickname 'the Chilean Roswell'.
1998 CE · -30.60, -71.05 · status: claim
The account
Local residents described lights and an impact on the hill, and the tale grew with claims of soldiers recovering debris. It remains one of the best-known crash stories in Chilean ufology.
The sceptical view
No debris, photographs or official records were ever produced. Bright fireballs over the Norte Chico are not rare, and a meteor seen to 'fall' behind a hill is a common source of crash rumours.