Sighting in Marseille, October 16, 2021

At around 10 p.m., the witness happened to notice an oval, salmon-brown object in a clear sky. It was moving silently in a straight line at a constant speed. The witness first took it for a stray balloon and called their father, who also saw it. The object kept going with no apparent change in speed until the witness lost sight of it. The sighting lasted about 30 seconds. Only the witness gave a statement, and no photo or video was taken, so the GEIPAN rated the case's consistency as medium.

The investigation concluded that the witness most likely saw a balloon, faintly lit by the city lights and drifting with the wind. Several points support this: an oval shape is common for this kind of balloon; the salmon-brown colour comes from city lights reflecting off its surface; the object gave off no light of its own and made no noise; it moved broadly in the direction of the prevailing wind; and it was over a large city on a Saturday evening, a time well suited to local parties where such balloons are used. The GEIPAN classified the case as A: a balloon, identified.