An account in Pyr�n�es-Orientales, France

While fishing at night on the beach at Le Barcarès, a witness at 9:13 PM observes the straight-line movement of a very bright orange glowing ball that quickly disappears into the clouds. Only one testimony is collected. The witness obtains two photos from a tourist. The witness most likely observed a Thai lantern. The appearance is consistent in terms of shape, the type of glow which can be non-uniform, and also the size, which is never too large (the witness says "smaller than the Moon," being mistaken about the measurement, which cannot be 3 cm at arm's length). Moreover, the wind measured that evening in Perpignan is perfectly in the direction of the trajectory faithfully reconstructed by the witness (see Infoclimat). It is early September, in a resort area; the location and date are favorable for festive events such as lantern releases. Consequently, GEIPAN classifies the case as B: Thai lantern.