The US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of North and South Carolina. This is reported by the news agencies AP and Reuters. An operation to salvage the debris is running.
The suspected Chinese spy balloon has been shot down off the coast of North and South Carolina. TV pictures showed a small explosion, then the balloon fell towards the Atlantic. An operation to salvage the debris is already underway.
Airspace closure
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously temporarily closed the airspace over the coast of the two states of North and South Carolina. The Coast Guard instructed ships to leave the area immediately. The reason given was US military operations “which pose a significant threat”.
The balloon was first spotted over Montana, where US nuclear missile silos are located at Malmstrom Air Force Base. US President Joe Biden initially refused to launch the balloon over land on the advice of the Department of Defense. There were fears that the debris could injure people on the ground.
In response to a reporter’s question, Biden said tersely, “We’ll take care of it.” China had said it was just a weather research aircraft that had gone off course.