'Penguins' trigger air-sea rescue off Scotland: coastguard
LONDON (AFP) — Two balloons shaped like penguins sparked a major air and sea search when they were mistaken for a crashed microlight, Scottish coastguards said Wednesday.
Three coastguard teams, a lifeboat and a Royal Air Force helicopter were scrambled after a member of the public reported seeing what he thought was a downed aircraft off the coast of Aberdeenshire, northeast Scotland.
"We sent the teams out to look for it but all they found was two penguin balloons," said watch officer Anne Young, from Aberdeen Coastguard. "Goodness only knows where they came from."
The sheen from the three-foot (0.9-metre) long inflatables was blamed for the confusion, she added.
