The UFO incident at the Ariel School in Ruwa (1994)

Short description of the event

On September 16, 1994, 62 students at Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, reported seeing an unidentified flying object and humanoid beings during recess. The beings were dressed in black and had large, almond-shaped eyes. Some students claimed to have received telepathic messages. The messages revolved around environmental protection and the future of the Earth.

Children from Ariel School talk about their experience

When and where did this all happen?

The incident occurred on September 16, 1994, at Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, a rural private school about 20 kilometers southeast of the capital, Harare.

Main features of the event

An unknown object landed or hovered near the school grounds. More than 60 students between the ages of 6 and 12 independently reported the same sighting. They saw one or more humanoid beings wearing black, tight suits and large, almond-shaped eyes. Some children said they received telepathic warnings of environmental destruction and a future threat to humanity. The children were visibly frightened after the incident, but their statements were consistent and detailed. Teachers and school administrators took the reports seriously, even though they hadn't seen anything themselves.

In this video, the students talk about their experience as adults almost 20 years after the event

Investigation and clarification attempts

Dr. John E. Mack, a Harvard psychiatrist and expert on extraordinary experiences of consciousness, traveled to Zimbabwe to interview the children. He found no evidence of lies or mass hysteria. The children's emotions seemed authentic and unrehearsed, and their statements remained consistent even after several years.

BBC journalist Tim Leach was one of the first reporters on the scene and found the children to be credible and sincere.

Critics claimed it could have been mass hysteria. However, there were no previous UFO reports that could have influenced the children. The children's drawings were very similar, regardless of each other, and no teachers or adults told the children what to say. Some skeptics suspected confusion with ordinary people or a helicopter, but the children's detailed descriptions contradict this.

List of the most credible witnesses

More than 60 students at Ariel School provided consistent statements over the years. Their drawings and reports were independently consistent, and there was no evidence of psychological abnormalities or manipulation.

Dr. John E. Mack personally examined the children and considered their statements to be authentic. He was an internationally respected psychiatrist who did not take lightly to unproven claims.

BBC journalist Tim Leach documented the incident and found the children credible. He found no evidence of deception or staged reports.

Cynthia Hind, Africa's leading UFO researcher, documented the children's statements early on and collected independent reports and comparisons with other UFO sightings.

Conclusion on credibility

The sighting at Ariel School is considered one of the most credible UFO events in history. More than 60 children independently described the same encounter with a UFO and humanoid beings. They were in a closed environment and had no access to sci-fi films or UFO literature. Their accounts remained unchanged for years. Experts such as Dr. John Mack considered the accounts to be genuine, and the children's emotional reaction was not staged. Skeptics have been unable to provide a cogent explanation that completely refutes the experience.

Credibility: Very high, but the origin of the phenomenon remains unclear.