An account in Haute-Savoie, France

On August 4, 2012 at around 11 p.m., a witness observed the slow, silent passage across the sky of five oval-shaped forms of an orange color. The witness noted that the forms gathered together before beginning a slow ascent. The witness lost sight of the forms, their brightness gradually fading. This observation case corresponds exactly to the observation of passing Thai lanterns. The release of flying lanterns is very common on summer Saturday evenings: many local festivals or weddings. Since local mountain winds are very complex, especially in summer at the end of the day, the wind observed by the nearby weather station (Geneva) does not exactly match the movement observed. GEIPAN did not conduct a local investigation to find those responsible for this release. The witness is reluctant about this hypothesis, presenting arguments to which GEIPAN responded (see correspondence). GEIPAN classifies this case "B": probable observation of Thai lanterns.