The existence of alien life has been disputed for years on end – and yet, we don’t seem to be getting any closer to a formal conclusion.

Nonetheless, this hasn’t discouraged outer space enthusiasts from penning theories that seemingly support the existence of life beyond Earth. Spurring these efforts forward are a number of alleged UFO sightings that many regard as tangible proof of alien presence within our atmosphere.

Unbeknownst to many, Malta has been fairly involved in a number of these incidents. Having said that, here are the four ‘UFO sightings’ that Malta has experienced in the past decade:

1. Malta International Airport, April 2012

One of the first recorded UFO sighting in Malta dates back to April 2012, when an individual travelling back to France spotted “two white objects” hovering over a Maltese house.

The incident in question was uploaded by the eyewitness in its entirety on YouTube in a video titled ‘Terrific UFO Proves over Malta Airport.’ Describing the incident, the uploader wrote: “the two objects began to descend to the ground and disappeared. Video analysed frame by frame, zoomed, and stabilised.”

2. Maghtab, September 2012

Just five months after the sighting over Malta’s airport, a UFO enthusiast spotted a faint, flat, and black figure hovering over the Maghtab landfill, limits of Naxxar.

“UFO inspecting landfill big trucks while at work. Workers below have no clue what is above them, normally people never look up overhead – that’s all it takes to spot one,” the eyewitness wrote. Alongside the alleged UFO, the eyewitness also spotted two ‘Orb UFOs’ – dark and circular objects floating in the sky.

3. Marsaxlokk, March 2013

An alleged UFO sighting over Marsaxlokk in 2013 had made a stir locally – so much so that it was picked up by a number of Maltese news outlets.

The UFO, which was black and oval, was spotted on 19th March at around 6pm by a police officer who shot the object with his mobile phone, Times of Malta reported. The officer who captured the photograph wanted to remain anonymous.

4. Marsaskala, October 2016

The latest UFO sighting on the Maltese islands dates back to 5th October 2016. This wasn’t formally reported until the following year.

“It was a sunny day and I was taking photos of the view and in three photos the object appeared,” the eyewitness wrote. “I [saw it] for 15 minutes or so, then it disappeared over the sea,” they continued. In this case, the UFO was shaped like a croissant and appeared over Marsaskala’s shore.

John Gatt / Facebook, WTFflow / YouTube