Sighting in Aigues-Mortes, October 11, 2013

The witness reported the sighting to the GEIPAN in January 2015, more than a year after it happened. One morning in October 2013, at about 10:08, they saw nine faint points of light in the daytime sky, arranged somewhat like the squares of a checkerboard. The points gradually faded away. The witness took photographs. Looking toward the northwest, they saw the points drift slightly from their right to their left. No other witness came forward.

At the Nîmes-Garons station, the recorded wind was light and came from the north. Points of light moving in a straight line suggest balloons reflecting sunlight, and their movement matched the wind. The date was a festival day in the town, so a balloon release would not be surprising. Carried by the north wind, the balloons came closer to the witness horizontally, but moved away from them as they climbed, until they burst.

The GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable sighting of festive balloons. Because the case was of low strangeness and the report came so late, no local inquiries were made into the origin of the release.