MARSEILLE (13) 21.03.2014

On 21 March 2014 at about 21:00, a witness in Marseille (13) saw 3 equally spaced yellow-orange lights moving silently along a straight path for 2–3 minutes. They seemed to accelerate suddenly before disappearing. GEIPAN finds this weekend-night sighting strongly suggestive of sky lanterns, probably released nearby after a private party. East-to-west movement was considered compatible with the wind recorded at Marignane, described as southerly turning toward west; see the Météociel data. GEIPAN attributes the apparent acceleration and disappearance probably to rapid fading before the lantern burners went out. It classifies the case B: probable sky lanterns.