The now-viral video shows the dark, circular spot hovering in the clouds over Valencia, a city in the northern Venezuelan state of Carabobo.
‘A flying saucer,’ one of the young men shouts as they drove down a rode on a sunny afternoon.
He then asks one of his pals for the time on the clock to document the recording.
‘Bro, look here: 4:54 pm on the 17th of June in 2024,’ he says. ‘Look at what is here in the sky in Valencia, Carabobo.’
The excited man then asks one of his friends to share the video with another person.
Although Venezuelan authorities have not made any public statements, local meteorologist Luis Vargas rained on their parade with several theories that ruled out a possible UFO sighting.
‘This could be a smoke vortex or black ring that occurs after an explosion through a circular structure such as an industrial chimney or something similar,’ he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
He also indicated that the circular shape may have been produced by a volcano.
‘They are also more common in volcanic activities as can be seen … and are known as ring clouds,’ Vargas said.
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One user on X linked the odd-looking shape to military exercises that had taken place at a camp ahead of Monday’s commemoration of the Battle of Carabobo, the 1821 fight for independence between fighters led by Venezuela General Simón Bolivar and the Spanish.
The victory at Carabobo led to the independence of Venezuelan and the creation of the Republic of Gran Colombia.
Another social media user linked the ring-shaped clouds to smoke from a cigar.
‘It was me who was smoking a cigar, and I started making figures with the smoke,’ José Pérez said. ‘But yes, his explanation is the most coherent and valid. I don’t think UFOs will arrive in Valencia, because we never have electricity, water and there are always lines for gasoline.’
Another joked that the UFO arrived ahead of next month’s presidential election to remove President Nicolás Maduro and his regime.
‘It is a UFO hired to search for those who leave on July 28,’ Alba Ferrero said.
Wilmer Palacios joked: ‘Those from Valencia are the chose ones.’
