Video shows Chinese balloon shot down; Americans report sightings

[ad_1]

Americans on Saturday reporting seeing the large Chinese balloon suspected of conducting surveillance as it drifted over the Southern U.S. Hours later, it was shot out of the sky over the Atlantic Ocean.

TV footage showed the moment the balloon appeared to be hit and began its descent toward the water.

Two officials, who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operation, said President Joe Biden had given the go-ahead to shoot down the balloon earlier Saturday and that officials would move to recover debris.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it had resumed operations after closing its airspace over the Carolina coastline, including the airports in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The Coast Guard also worked to clear the water.

Earlier in the day, Americans in the Carolinas were using cell phones and professional cameras to document the balloon’s trajectory on Saturday. The balloon was spotted over Montana earlier this week.

UPDATES:US downs suspected Chinese spy balloon off Carolina coast

More:Blinken postpones China trip amid spy balloon row; US officials scramble to get rid of it

More:Surveillance, research, civilian use? What the Chinese balloon is and how the U.S. can bring it down

Video shows Chinese balloon being shot down

Footage on TV and captured by onlookers appears to show an aircraft approaching its altitude over the Atlantic and firing at the spy balloon. After a small explosion, its debris was seen slowly floating down to the ocean.

U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation.

What was the Chinese balloon doing?

The balloon was a “high-altitude surveillance balloon,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said.

China has maintained it was a weather research “airship” that went off course, but that has been rejected by U.S. officials. It’s not the first time China has tried to collect sensitive information, Ryder said.

“Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years, Ryder said. “Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.”

The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America.

Where did people see the balloon?

The balloon was spotted Saturday floating east over the Carolinas, headed toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Evan Fisher, an atmospheric sciences major at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, photographed what he said was a “surprisingly large” balloon just before 9 a.m. Saturday. He used a professional camera with a zoom lens to capture detail on the balloon.

[ad_2]

Source link

Breaking

Video shows Chinese balloon shot down; Americans report sightings

By admin

Related Post

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You Missed

Randy Orton’s praise for Cody Rhodes highlights a significant shift

The Union (2024) – Movie Story Overview

ARAB Girls Proposal For Marriage

Netflix Announces End Of DVD-By-Mail Business

Video shows Chinese balloon shot down; Americans report sightings

By admin

Related Post

AP Top Stories 16 March P

7 killed in mysterious northern Iraq helicopter crash

‘Gangster’ bird sent 8-foot alligator scrambling back to pond, Florida video shows

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You Missed

Randy Orton’s praise for Cody Rhodes highlights a significant shift

The Union (2024) – Movie Story Overview

ARAB Girls Proposal For Marriage

Netflix Announces End Of DVD-By-Mail Business