The Aleya Lights of the Bengal Marshes
On the marshes and rivers of Bengal, fishermen see flickering lights over the water at night. They say they belong to fishermen who drowned.
What was reported
In the low-lying marshes and river country of Bangladesh and West Bengal, fishermen speak of aleya, strange lights that hover and flicker over the water at night. Some say they are the spirits of fishermen who drowned, leading the living astray so that they lose their way or drown too.
Others say the lights can be a warning, or even guide boats to safety. Fishermen learned to be wary of following them.
Explanations offered
Most scientists link such marsh lights to will-o'-the-wisp, a glow that may come from gases such as methane and phosphine from rotting plants catching fire. The phenomenon has rarely been studied, and some reports may be lights from distant boats or settlements.
- When
- Reported for generations
- Where
- Barisal Division, Bangladesh
- Witnesses
- Fishermen of Bengal
- Status
- Unexplained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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