THE National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has appealed to residents not to set off sky lanterns during new year celebrations.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said often eyewitnesses often mistake sky lanterns for distress flares.

“Well meaning members of the public report these “flare sightings” and NSRI and other emergency services launch a full scale search and rescue operation. These searches can continue for quite some time until it is confirmed that no persons or craft at sea are in difficulty,” he said.

He added sky lanterns pose the additional danger of being a fire hazard.

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