The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. An operation is now underway to recover the debris.
Biden said he wanted the balloon downed on Wednesday, but was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that the bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the Atlantic coast. At about 2:40 p.m.
Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the giant deflated balloon descending like a ribbon toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation. “In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday morning.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a question about the second balloon.
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