Sighting in Mers-El-Kebir, August 1954

In 2012, a witness described an observation from July or August 1954, at around 8 p.m., in a locality near Oran, Algeria. They were 15 at the time. They later placed the event on a weekday between 24 and 27 August. Toward the end of the day, several people were sitting at a table when a very bright, fire-orange disc suddenly appeared, falling through the sky. It was heading down toward the sea, then stopped in mid-air and hung motionless above the horizon. It then shot off at high speed, climbing at a 45° angle toward the east, and vanished. The whole thing lasted about two minutes.

Only one account was collected. However, a Provençal newspaper article dated 27 August 1954 reported a fireball seen from Plan-de-Cuques (13) on 22 August 1954 at 8 p.m. A fireball could explain much of the observation. But the exact date is unknown, the memory is old and may have changed over time, and the second part of the sighting could only be explained by a physiological cause that cannot be verified. GEIPAN therefore classed the case C, not usable because of a lack of reliable information.