Description

https://www.nicap.org/mendoza680722dir.htm (https://www.nicap.org/mendoza680722dir.htm)

https://cufos.org/resources/ufo-catalogues/ (https://cufos.org/PDFs/HUMCAT/HUMCAT_Index_1968.pdf)

Date:  July 22 1968
Location: Mendoza Argentina
Time: 0120A

Shape of UFO: 'Mushroom' or 'hat' shaped

Adela Casalvieri, night nurse at the Neuropsychiatry Hospital, heard a loud penetrating humming noise outside in the hospital courtyard. Going out to see what caused it, she observed at a distance of 20 meters a landed object, in the shape in the shape of a hat or mushroom. It was aluminium coloured, shiny, and the bottom seemed to rotate rapidly, in the middle of the courtyard. A luminous red ray was directed at her and she found her legs paralyzed; putting her hands up to her face for protection, she found she was unable to move, as well. She remained immobilized for a number of minutes, until the red beam was extinguished.

At this time the object ascended vertically, and then moved off rapidly to the south, barely clearing the wall around the courtyard. Before it disappeared she was able to observe several human like figures through square portholes that encircled the object; these moved back and forth, passing each other, and were visible only from the waist up. Imprints were found at the landing site and several small potted trees were burned. Mrs Casalvieri had first-degree burns of the face and hands, and parts of her cap and clothing were burned

Radioactivity and other evidence:

Testing later showed a high level of radioactivity in the area. in addition, her watch, which had stopped at 0130A, was found to be radioactive, as was her ring.

Always according to the nurse's testimony, the UFO produced an intense heat, "like when the sun is hot, or when it passes by a boiler", also perceiving, together with her colleagues, a smell of burnt sulphur at the time the object left. He says that the unusual phenomenon caused burns on his hands, the right side of his face and his neck: "I was checked by a doctor who came from the Air Force, and he said that there was radioactivity in the rings I was wearing and the watch. He had radioactivity." Later he will say: "The clock stopped at 1:30 a.m. It also had radioactivity, along with the rings. And she had a woollen hat on her head, because it was so cold. She had it burned all over this part," indicating to the right and back of her head. The witness states that the burns were caused by the alleged radioactivity, presenting "a degree of burn" (Editor's note: the nurse seems to mean that the burns were of the first degree.)