This is a list of UFO sightings that have occurred in Malta. I have not thoroughly investigated all the cases yet, and in some cases I have had to rely on newspaper reports and other independent investigators. I will add new info on these cases as soon as it is available.

MAP OF MALTA - UFO SIGHTINGS

July 1968

Witnesses : 4 fishermen and a 10 year old boy

Location : On a boat 30km North of Malta

Object : Golden, glowing, missile-like object

Sound : Whooshing sound

Notes : The object passed over the witnesses boat, almost went out of sight and then made a U-turn and returned over the boat. It then disappeared into the sea and the witnesses heard what they thought was a splash. On moving closer they saw no sign that anything had broken up on contact with the water, i.e. no debris or bubbles.

25 June or September 1977

Witnesses : Raymond DeGiovanni and Charles Mamo

Location : On a boat in the Grand Harbour, Malta

Object : Bright, Luminous object with no distinct shape

Sound : None

Notes : The first ever photos of a UFO taken by a Maltese. The photos show two bright luminous object which seem to move at great speeds, enough to leave bright, zig-zagging streaks on film taken at 1/250 th of a second shutter speed. These photographs were published in the newspaper, It-Torca.

See a [low quality] scan of the newspaper article

February 1978

Witnesses : M. Deguara

Location : Manoel Island, Ta' Xbiex, Malta

Object : A round, reddish bulb like object similar to an aircraft's light but which suddenly turned into a brilliant white light

Sound : None

Notes : M. Deguara saw a stationary light over Manoel Island. It suddenly illuminated the whole island (which is approx. a kilometre across) with a brilliant white light. It hovered for up to 5 minutes and then shot away.

9 February 1978

Witnesses : Pius Darmanin

Location : Grand Harbour, Malta

Object : Moon like in size, bluish and of a gaseous consistency

Sound : None

Notes : The object moved in a zig-zag fashion and left white and yellow fragments. It moved towards the centre of the Grand Harbour where it seemed to release a blackish object barely visible in its glare. It subsequently disappeared and another huge aircraft like object with exhaust coming out of its tail-pipe appeared. A 'mothership' picking up its smaller craft or a plane intercepting the first UFO? The time of the sighting was 6 am.

30 October 1978

Witnesses : Mr John Lyons, of British nationality married to a Maltese woman

Location : St.Paul's Bay and Mellieha, Malta

Object : Circular in shape, very bright and moving at great speed

Sound : None

Notes : On holiday visiting his wife's relatives in Mosta, he saw and photographed a UFO over St.Paul's Bay and Mellieha. The photograph was published in The Times of Malta.

See a [low quality] scan of the newspaper article

1978 or 1979

Witnesses :Anonymous and his wife

Location :Qui-si-Sana, Sliema, Malta.

Object : Shape/Size similar to a star, but moved at high speed and performed "spectacular" aerial maneuvers

Sound : None

Notes : Mr Y and his wife prefer to remain anonymous. On a clear summer night in 1977 or 1978 (the witness is not sure of the year), Mr Y and his (at the time) fiance were walking along Qui-si-Sana, Sliema at around 10.00 pm.

Here is what he experienced in his own words :

"The funny thing is that we had 2 or 3 days earlier talked about UFO sightings in Malta, local newspaper articles and other locals and kids who had seen these UFOs and apparently followed or chased them across the skies. I had admittedly shrugged off the issue as a sick Maltese version of UFO hoax until that fateful night.

Actually it was my fiance who spotted the light first. Her acute eyesight picked out the "moving" star and she triumphantly pointed it out to me as if to pay me back for my earlier disbelief. And there it was! No fancy lights or shapes, nor wooshing sounds or anything of the sort. Imagine a stray star, nothing more. Same colour, same size - but constantly on the move.

I could not even have a guess on its altitude since there was no definite shape I could relate the thing to. Neither the speed as it flew erratically from left to right of the night sky. The course was haphazard and made no sense to me. It happened so often that course changes took it back, then down, then right again, then up, then once more to the left.

We were awestruck at first, then kind of bored since nothing really fantastic was happening. We followed it across the sky until we lost it on it's way to the right side of the sky. Then after about ten minutes if I remember well, it came back from right to left, again changing course ... and superimposed as it was on a background of constellations, one could fantasize that this thing was jumping from one cluster of stars to the other at a breakneck speed. Of course it wasn't, but I am still wondering who could have been at the helm, if there was indeed someone steering this craft. The erratic behaviour and abrupt course changes must have had some effect on any humanoid on board, so maybe it was remotely controlled? But what was it? It was definetely not a plane, helicopter, balloon of any sort, kite or satellite. Nothing could have moved in that manner, at least nothing I know of myself. One thing is for sure, it was giving out light since we could see it in the dark and this was no reflection."

26 November 1987

Witnesses : Anonymous

Location : Fomm ir-Rih, Malta

Object : Glowing white and with no features except for a bulge in the middle

Sound : A buzzing and humming noise

Notes : Mr X was driving along a dirt road near Fomm ir-Rih at 9pm. He heard a buzzing noise which increased in pitch until his car's engine went dead. He looked out of his window and saw what he described as a 'plattina tleqq' - a glowing plate-like object. This appeared to be descending directly onto his car. He panicked and tried to get out but the door seemed to be jammed. He could do nothing except brace himself for the impact. When nothing happened, he looked out again and saw the object hovering at 20 metres above his car. The noise it had emitted became a hum. It hovered over him for 10 minutes during which time he didn't move from his seat. Without warning, it rose at an incredible speed until disappearing in the distance. The car started normally, and frightened out of his wits, Mr X drove like mad to Ghar Lapsi where he had to meet a friend.

On the way he stopped for a drink (a double whisky) and recounted his story to the barman. The barman (who is personally known to the researcher) confirmed that Mr X looked as if "he had seen a ghost". Mr X was illiterate so his story could not have been faked after having read a UFO book.

January 1988

Witnesses : Francis Darmanin and wife

Location : Dingli Cliffs, Dingli, Malta

Object : Cigar shaped or disc seen edge-on, visible only on film

Sound : None

Notes : Mr Darmanin and his wife were walking along the Dingli cliffs and snapping photographs of the view. One of the photos was of the Dingli Cliffs radar station. On developing this photo, a cigar shaped object (or a disc seen edge-on) could be seen exactly above the radar dome. The object seemed to be releasing vapour or some form of energy from its top and bottom in four distinct jets. The camera used was a Canon 35mm without zoom. The film's developer ruled out a defect in the negative or having been caused during the developing process.

October 1989

Witnesses : Anonymous

Location : Limits of Zebbug, Malta

Object : Round object, pulsating in various colours

Sound : None

Notes : Two women were driving along a road when they saw a pillar of radiance in one of the fields. The pillar of light ended in a roundish object which pulsated and changed colour continuously. They observed this object for a few minutes until it rose slowly till it disappeared in the distance. No physical evidence in the fields was noted as the the investigator only learned of this sighting a few months after it occurred.

1992 - 1995

Witnesses : Multiple

Location : Malta & Gozo

Object : Distant Lights in the sky

Sound : Too far off to hear anything

Notes : I have received a number of reports of distant lights in the sky that may or may not have any significance : the witnesses may have misidentified aircraft lights, distant lightning flashes, bright stars or planets, etc.

6 May 1996

Witnesses : John Joseph Mercieca (myself)

Location : Mriehel Bypass (near Qormi)

Object : Cylinder shape

Sound : Too far off to hear anything

Notes : Driving along the Mriehel Bypass (toward Valletta, just before the exit to Qormi) at 12.20pm (noon), I noticed an "aircraft" in the sky in the direction of Qormi. What caught my eye was the seemingly bright sun's reflection off the fuselage which was blinding when looked at directly. The reflection dimmed in a couple of seconds as if the "aircraft" was banking and suddenly the "plane" was not there anymore! It just blinked out!! The sky was cloudless so it couldn't have flown into a cloud. The object was roughly 2 cm long at arm's length.