The article below was published in the daily newspaper La Dépêche du Midi, France, on June 13, 2005.
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The older generations still remember the case from 1952, precisely on October 27. On that day, several witnesses observed a very strange phenomenon in the sky over Gaillac... "More than a hundred citizens reported seeing 16 flying saucers in formation around a larger flying cigar," summarized the Reuters news agency. The press seized on the topic, marking the first reported UFO sighting in the Tarn department.
Several decades have passed, the mystery remains unsolved, and strange sightings have evolved. The flying saucers caricatured in the movie "La Soupe au chou," where Jacques Villeret plays a taciturn extraterrestrial, have disappeared, and "luminous spheres have taken over," notes Didier Gomez, a passionate researcher and author of a booklet titled "Insolite Apparitions in Occitanie," which has just been released and documents 12 curious sightings in the Tarn.
"How do we explain this? There is a whole set of data to analyze," admits Didier Gomez. The phenomenon seems to evolve alongside technological advancements. "Thus, the earliest known sightings, dating back to 1897 in the United States, described airships—despite the fact that such airships did not yet exist."
In his work, Didier Gomez revisits twelve unexplained cases from the Tarn. "There are many more in reality, but I had to make a selection."
Another book is expected to be published soon, listing around a hundred known cases to date.
However, the booklet, published as part of the association Planète OVNI, also delves into the folklore of past eras, where White Ladies, fairies, and Drac creatures terrified the population. "It’s important to connect these periods," says Didier Gomez. "Throughout history, strange apparitions have occurred. I don’t know what we are dealing with, but something has been intruding into our environment for a long time."
More recently, the last recorded case in the Tarn dates back to last December in Arthès. Two young people photographed a phenomenon of intense luminosity heading toward Ambialet. "For now, the ufologist does not know much more, 'investigations are long and tedious': gathering testimonies, trying to establish the truth of the claims... It’s a painstaking process."
Through this work, the author and the association hope to gather new testimonies to advance their research and, perhaps one day, uncover the secrets of this mysterious phenomenon.
Céline Authemayou
