NTDTV Transcript: [Scroll down for video]
The small village of Bugarach in south west France close to the Pyrenees mountain range has a population of just 200. But now the villagers are bracing themselves for the arrival of hundreds, if not thousands, of esoteric groups and doomsday followers who believe the mountain over the village has magic power.
According to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar, the end of the world is scheduled for December 21st this year.
But new-agers and self-styled gurus who have spread speculation about the imminent end of the world on the internet believe the village of Bugarach will survive.
They are convinced UFOs will rescue them and may even be inside the mountain top ready to take them to safety.
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Speculation has spread widely on the internet and while the French authorities think the scenario is ridiculous, they are taking the situation very seriously.
Over a hundred gendarmes will seal off the village from the 19th of December through the 23rd to keep out any doomsday groups planning to head to the mountain top.
The mayor of Bugarach said he needs the police to guarantee the village's safety as he fears the arrival of cults as the dreaded day arrives.
He says that anyone thinking of making the trek to the village on December 21 should not even think about it as there will be no space ships, just lots of police officers to keep them back.
[Jean-Pierre Lord, Mayor of Bugarach]:
"My message is very simple. I am telling people don't come here to Bugarach for a simple reason there will be nothing to see here. So I insist, don't come here, especially as there will mainly be the police here."In the village itself, most residents preferred to keep behind closed doors and are waiting for the end of December to arrive so they can get back to enjoying the reasons they first moved to Bugarach—the beauty, peace and quiet.
Others were just waiting for the date, and the craze, to pass.
[Valerie Austin, Local Resident]:
"Holiday visitors in some respects have been put off by the publicity. They don't want to come to a place where they think they will be accosted by strange people in the streets. They come here for the peace and quiet, beauty and tranquility and so on and they don't want other things happening."As for the black cat seen wandering the streets of the tiny village, locals said he was simply the local moggy, not an omen of things to come.