'Thought it was an alien': Iron Man-shaped balloon triggers panic in Uttar Pradesh

The object was spotted in the sky in the Dankaur area in the morning and later landed in a canal near Bhatta Parsaul village, where a crowd had gathered to see what some of them thought was “an alien", officials said.

“It was a balloon filled with air that had gone up in the sky and later came down and got stuck in the bushes along the canal. A part of the balloon was touching the flowing water in the canal which had led the balloon to shake a little. Unbeknown to the spectators, this made for an anxious watch," Dankaur SHO Anil Kumar Pandey told PTI.

He said a major reason behind the anxiety among people was the unusual shape of the balloon.

“It was shaped like the Ironman (fictional superhero character) given its colour and design. This was an unusual sight so some people even thought it was an alien, or something like that, and were apprehensive," Pandey said.

The official said the balloon was fished out around noon and apparently it came down because it was losing its gas.

There was nothing harmful in the object but it was yet to be ascertained who floated it in the air, he added.