BESSINES-SUR-GARTEMPE 1993, LIGHTS IN A CLEARING

Summary

In October 1993, several witnesses in a garden near a forest observed colored lights in a clearing. Shortly after, they heard a noise resembling thunder and saw a flash. The luminous phenomenon disappeared quickly. Initially classified as a UFO case, the GEIPAN re-examined it using new tools and experience. They concluded that a meteorological phenomenon, such as a distant storm, was more likely. Witnesses mentioned lightning and thunder, but their accounts lacked consistency, such as the direction of the lightning or the number of thunderclaps. Additionally, they did not verify whether the lights actually came from the forest, leaving open the possibility that they were lightning flashes seen through the trees. The location, on a slope with trees, also made it plausible to see lightning from certain angles.

The re-examination showed no clear evidence of an unexplained phenomenon. The witnesses, friends who had consumed alcoholic beverages, might have exaggerated or misinterpreted the event. Moreover, weather stations did not report anomalies at 18:00, but did mention distant storms starting at 20:00. This suggests the phenomenon could have occurred 30 minutes earlier. While it cannot be confirmed with certainty that it was a storm, most elements point in that direction. The GEIPAN finally classified the case as B, attributing it to a storm.