The article below was published in the daily newspaper La Montagne, France, le 26 janvier 1978.
Rondonopolise (central-western Brazil). -- Manoel Roberto, 11, who claims to have been kidnapped with his cousin Paulo on January 20 by an unidentified flying object, still maintains his statements.
Young Manoel was found on Saturday in Rondonopolis, 500 kilometers from his home. He said he and his cousin had been kidnapped aboard a "luminous locomotive" inside which were eight small men, dressed in red and wearing iron rings on their chests. The latter did not speak, either among themselves or with the children, to whom they made it clear through eye movements what they had to do, for example indicating seats to them when they wanted them to sit. They also allegedly gave them a liquid to drink.
In Rondonopolis, the reactions of the population are mixed, some give credence to the boy's story, others treat him as a fabricator. But many residents indicated that at the time of Manoel's supposed arrival, 7 p.m. local time (11 p.m. in Paris), they had seen a strange luminous object in the sky. Likewise, we learned on Tuesday that a total power outage had affected the region without the local company being able to determine the cause.
Mr. Manuel Toro, the Chilean engineer who Manoel spoke to in Rondonopolis, said he had encountered the young boy half-dressed and dirty. According to the engineer, Manoel's story is coherent and does not contain any contradiction.
However, he continues, it is necessary to confront Manoel with his parents and especially to speak with the other children with whom he was playing when, according to him, he was taken aboard the U.F.O.
