Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) reported in Flanders last year outstripped the prior year, according to figures published by the Belgian UFO Reporting Centre (Belgische ufo-meldpunt).
The centre received 223 reports about possible alien sightings on its website, a slight increase from 217 in 2022.
Its French-speaking counterpart, the Belgian Committee for the Study of Spatial Phenomena (Cobeps), reported fewer cases, with a yearly total of 48, down from 59 the previous year.
Most reports were related to planets or stars – which amounted to 40 reports, a significant rise from last year.
‘Light beam’ sightings, potentially explained by a skytracer, were also on the rise, notching up a total of 23 reports.
However, cases backed by insufficient data for a comprehensive investigation were on a downward trend, logging 39 reports.
Other explanations for these UFO sightings included the transit of satellites or the international space station ISS (33), aeroplanes/helicopters (31), meteorites/space debris (7), birds/insects (6), and drones (5).
Despite the Belgian UFO Reporting Centre branding itself as a Belgian UFO point of contact, the majority of sightings came from Flanders due to its Dutch-only website.
However, it collaborates with Cobeps, a French-speaking organisation focusing on French testimonies. Cobeps registered 48 incidents last year, primarily involving aeroplanes or artificial satellites.
