Sighting in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, July 5, 2014

Two witnesses, each giving an account independently of the other, described orange lights drifting slowly across the sky without making any noise.

GEIPAN considered that these descriptions, together with what the investigation turned up, made the sighting of sky lanterns, also known as Thai lanterns, very probable. Because the two accounts agree even though they were given separately, the case has a high consistency rating (0.8): the phenomenon was undoubtedly real. It is not certain, however, that both witnesses saw it at the same moment. One of them may have been unsure of the time, or a second release may have taken place from the same spot. The strangeness rating is low (0.3), since what was described closely resembles a well-known phenomenon.

The case was therefore classified B. It could have been classified A if those behind a possible lantern release had been identified.