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Column: UFO sightings not unusual in the Shuswap

In Plain View by Lachlan Labere
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Among the various theories circulating on social media as to what got the Shuswap shaking over the weekend, aliens appeared to be the one people had the most fun with.

Even after it was reported by Natural Resources Canada to be a 2.2 magnitude quake, the aliens theory persisted.

The fact the earthquake seismologist who discussed the March 2 event with us shares the same last name as David Duchovny’s extra-terrestrial-obsessed character, FBI agent Fox Mulder from the TV series The X-Files, was not lost on our readers.

I’m not sure if all who suggested alien involvement were doing so for laughs, or if there were some who fall into the Fox Mulder camp of “I want to believe.”

Read more: Sighting in the skies

Read more: Sicamous site of attempt to contact aliens

I do understand, however, that extra-terrestrial visitations are not unusual in the Shuswap. There have been several UFO sightings reported over the years.

One occurred April 2, 2015, in Salmon Arm. A witness described a massive grey saucer shape that made no sound.

Another occurred in 2003 near Mara Lake. It was described as diamond-shaped, with a cluster of lights and the size of a three-storey house.

Another sighting was reported in 2003 near Sicamous, in which RCMP were contacted.

I might view these stories entertaining curiosities if I didn’t have my own UFO-ish experience. It occurred on a dark evening in the mid-to-late 1990s in Kamloops.

Cloud was low and thick in the sky. I was in the front living room of my folks’ home when a bright light came shining through the window. Everything electrical, from lights to TV, dimmed or shut off momentarily, starting from the front of the house and moving to the back, as the light in the sky moved slowly, silently overhead.

The source of this massive funnel of radiance, hidden in the clouds, stopped over the South Thompson River, where it lingered for about a minute. Then the funnel appeared to close up on the spot, as though its source had shot straight up into the sky.

I don’t know if what I saw was from a UFO. Maybe it was some experimental Canadian military stealth Sea King helicopter technology? Regardless, the experience made me want to believe.


@SalmonArm
newsroom@saobserver.net

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