These photos were reportedly taken in 1967 by Augusto Arranda while he was trekking in the mountains near Yungay, located at about 10,000 feet in the Huaylas Valley of north-central Peru. Arranda had borrowed a camera from Cesar Ore, an acquaintance, who operated a tourist office in Yungay. The photos were given to the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) for analysis.

One of the photos came to APRO’s attention, in 1968, through an indirect means. After some investigation, the photo was traced back to the Kodak Peruana S.A. processing laboratory, where an employee, in violation of company rules, had retained copies of the photos at the time they were being commercially developed. Kodak officials confiscated the photos from their employee before APRO could locate him and refused to produce them (they were obtained in 1969 through Eastman Kodak’s International Markets Division in Rochester, New York). No Kodak records were available to trace the photos to their original source. The location of a full set of the photos, in Yungay, was made known to APRO by an official in the Peruvian Ministry of the Navy. A trip was made to Yungay, where the three missing photos (being retained by Kodak Peruana S.A.) were found and obtained from Mr. Ore. Arranda, the photographer, had mailed copies to Mr. Ore after the former returned to Lima, the capital. Arranda had presumably sent the negatives to Kodak for processing, explaining the two independent sources brought to APRO’s attention.

In spite of intensive investigation, Mr . Arranda was not located by APRO, although conclusive evidence of his existence was obtained. Consequently, the details concerning the observation and the photography are not known; neither are the original negatives available for analysis. Although original prints exist in the United States, and several scientists have examined them, they have not been subjected to a comprehensive analysis. Their authenticity has thus been occasionally questioned. However, nothing emerged during APRO’s investigation to indicate a hoax. No publicity or commercialization was ever attempted by the photographer or by Ore. On the contrary, it took much effort to trace the photographs.

In May 1970, a strong earthquake struck central Peru, resulting in the death of over 70,000 persons. During the earthquake, a glacier was dislodged from Mount Huascaran, one of the tallest peaks in the Andes mountain range, causing a large avalanche of ice, rocks, and mud to descend on Yungay at a speed of about 200 miles per hour. The entire town and almost its entire population of 20,000 persons were buried instantly. The earthquake has been called “the most catastrophic natural disaster in the history of the Western Hemisphere and ranks high among the world’s greatest natural disasters” (see Reps, William F., and Simiu, Emil, “Case Study: Engineering Geology and Siting Problems Related to the Peru Earthquake of May 31, 1970,” in Design, Siting and Construction of Low-Cost Housing and Community Buildings to Better Withstand Earthquake and Windstorms. National Bureau of Standards Building Science Series 48, U. S. Department of Commerce).

The original camera and one original print which remained with Mr. Ore were lost in the avalanche. It is not known if Mr. Ore survived, and further in-country investigation was not undertaken.

Augusto Arranda was trekking in 1967 in the mountains near Yungay, located at about 3.000 meters (10.000 feet) in the Huaylas Valley of north-central Peru. He had a camera with him, that he had borrowed from his friend Cesar Ore, a tourist office operator in Yungay.

The exact circumstances of the picture shot were never known, as the photographs surfaced by mere accident: there was never any attempt at publication by Augusto Armanda nor Cesar Ore, as it was a Kodak employee who sent one printout to ufologist Richard Greenwell of the APRO ufology group.

APRO managed to get the printout of one photograph at first. They investigated to trace back its origin, and this they found thatthe employee of the Kodak Peruana S.A. processing laboratory had made copies of the photos at the time they were being developed, which as a violation of company rules.

Unfortunately, Kodak managers confiscated the photo from their employee before APRO could get to him, and they refused to show it. Ultimately APRO obtained them anyway in 1969 from Eastman Kodak's International Markets Division in Rochester, New York. But there were no records available at Kodak to trace the photo to their original source.

Later, APRO learned the Peruvian Ministry of the Navy that the location where they had been taken was Yungay, and that there was a set of four photographs. APRO went there and managed to get copies of the 3 missing photos being retained by Kodak Peruana S.A. via Cesar Ore: Augusto Arranda had mailed him copies from a post office in Lima, the capital.

However, although the existence of Augusto Arranda and that he was the photographer was proved, APRO never managed to locate him and get any more information. One factor that hindered the investigation was the terrible earthquake; which destructed the city of Yungay and caused more than 70.000 death.

Original prints exist in the United States, several scientists have examined them but they have not been subjected to a comprehensive analysis, as the negatives and the ocular witness are missing.

Cusco - 2016

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoIUjFO1x34