MONTFERRAND-LE-CHATEAU (25) 18.08.2013

On 18 August 2013 at about 02:00, 3 witnesses in Montferrand-le-Château (25) saw a luminous formation travel silently in a straight line across the sky. They counted up to 11 yellow-orange discs forming a triangle. It receded and disappeared behind the landscape. GEIPAN identifies sky lanterns with certainty: colour, silence and a formation characteristic of clustered releases all fit. A wedding hall was about 400 m from the observation site, so the lanterns were probably still low and close together when seen, strengthening the impression of a single structure. Almost no wind allowed slow, straight movement above the witnesses. The town hall and then the person who had rented the wedding venue confirmed a lantern release at the observation time. The case is classified A: certain observations of sky lanterns.