‘Iron Man’ sparks Coastguard rescue operation at Kirkcaldy waterfront
But rather than a jet-skier in trouble, it turned out to be a large Iron Man helium balloon!
The coastguard and lifeboat teams were scrambled and arrived at the scene near the lorry park/car park at the bottom end of the Esplanade at around midday.
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Hide AdThey received the callout after eye-witnesses reported someone in the water which one believed was a jet-skier who had got into difficulty.
But a spokesman for the coastguard revealed that in actual fact the ‘jet-skier’ was a large Marvel Iron Man balloon.
A spokesman for HM Coastguard said: “The people who reported it were distressed as they sincerely believed it was a person who had got into trouble in the water.
“But it turns out it was a balloon that had come adrift and somebody thought it was a person. We believe it was an Iron Man balloon.”
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Hide AdKinghorn RNLI Lifeboat Station confirmed it had also attended the incident.
A spokesman said: “The call was a false alarm with good intent. Someone thought they had seen someone with a jet-pack who had dropped into the water and so our volunteer crew were tasked with the search to assist the coastguard.
“The coastguard had spoken to other witnesses in the area and confirmed it had been a helium balloon in the area which had drifted out to sea.”
“It had been mistaken for a person and was described as an Iron Man balloon.”
He added: “All calls are taken seriously until it is determined what it is.”