MADELEINE (LA) (59) 31.03.2012

On 31 March 2012 around 21:15 in La Madeleine (59), a witness looking northwest saw several steady orange lights move silently north to south. A second person saw part of the phenomenon but did not submit an account. The lights gradually went out. GEIPAN finds all the features of sky lanterns: orange colour, duration and number, and movement it considers consistent with a fairly strong northeasterly wind of 17–39 km/h. It notes that Saturday evening celebrations frequently involve lantern releases. GEIPAN did not seek the people responsible for a release. The case is classified B: probable sky lanterns.