SIGHTING: KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA (CANADA)

Witness Testimony

"Hello. I was requested by Dr. Stanton Friedman to report this sighting to you. In late July, 1968, My Grandfather and Grandmother were moving into their new residence on the grounds of The Tranquille Hospital 6 miles from Kamloops, BC, Canada. My grandfather was starting his new job as medical superintendent of The Tranquille Hospital. We spent the day unpacking boxes etc. As it was extremely hot (Kamloops can get to over 100 degrees during the summer), we all (my grandparents, my mother and father, myself, and my sister) stepped outside to cool down. The time was approximately 10:45 PM. As we were standing in the garden, I happened to look up to the SW sky. I observed 6 bright star-like objects flying in circles around each other. I pointed the lights out to everyone there, and they saw the lights too. It seemed as though the lights were playing a game of tag in the sky. The 6 lights continued to fly in erratic patterns in one spot in the sky, sometimes changing direction 180 degrees instantly. The size of the area in the sky the lights occupied was about the size of a dinner plate held at arms length. We continued to observe the lights for approximately 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the lights started slowing down, and eventually formed a stationary circle of 6 lights. The lights remained stationary in the circular pattern for about 15 seconds, then they all flew outwards in 6 different directions so fast, they were gone in less than 1/4 second. I estimate the speed they flew off in the 1000's of MPH. My grandmother was a believer in extraterrestrials, and was one of the first subscribers to "UFO Magazine" in 1967. I asked my grandmother what the lights were, and she immediately said "Oh, those were flying saucers" the popular term for UFO's in those days. As a person who grew up fascinated by "The Space Age", I thought at the time "no big deal". It was like growing up knowing that exotic animals existed in Africa but never seeing one, and finally seeing one for the first time in a zoo. I now realize how lucky we all were to have witnessed this amazing occurrence. As a footnote, to this day, Tranquille is still a hotspot for UFO sightings. There are large mineral deposits (copper, silver, and gold) in the area, and that may be attracting them to that area. "