Officials Issue Warning Not to Touch Chinese Spy Balloon Debris
South Carolina and North Carolina officials issued warnings to residents to not touch suspected Chinese immigrants Spy balloon It was brought down by U.S. planes above the Atlantic Ocean.
Contact local authorities if there is any debris from the balloon that washes up on the shore. Local municipalities issued warnings over the weekend following the balloon’s descent on Saturday afternoon.
“Please be advised we are aware of the destruction of the balloon that was over the ocean near our City,” The North Myrtle Beach Police Department stated in a “a href=”https://www.facebook.com/NMBDPS/posts/pfbid02sKJG2u2qm9HjUjvLxk5UbhBJYTiQYHyHGWFALUjBoQjk9dnziqQtvNwsjQp4HKRZl”>statement. “Pieces of this balloon are being collected by the U.S. military however it is possible some of those pieces may wash ashore. Any stray pieces are expected in the NC area but could wash ashore in [North Myrtle Beach].”
“If a piece is located please contact your local law enforcement agency for collection,” According to the statement. “Debris should not be touched, moved, or removed. Such items are part of a federal investigation and tampering with them could interfere with that investigation. Our non-emergency number is 843-280-5511.”
Sunset Beach police stated in a Saturday news release that “these stray pieces are expected to wash ashore in the North Carolina area.” It’s not clear when, however, and U.S. military recovery efforts are underway.
“Members of the U.S. Military are coordinating to collect debris from the ocean; however, it is possible fragments may make it to the coastline,” Horry County Police reported in a Post.
The U.S. Defense secretary Lloyd Austin claimed in a statement that Wednesday’s shootdown of an aerial device was approved by the Biden administration. “as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path.”
Austin’s statement said that due to the high altitude and significant size the balloon—which was moving at around 60,000 feet in the air—the U.S. military determined that it would be too risky to shoot it down over U.S. territory. It was reported that the balloon was seen above Billings, Montana last week. This prompted both Republicans and Democrats to call for its removal.
Montana is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base which houses nuclear missile silos.
“Allowing a spy balloon from the Communist Party of China to travel across the entire continental United States before contesting its presence is a disastrous projection of weakness by the White House,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), was the top Republican on Senate Armed Services Committee. Statement.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.) spoke with a more positive tone Writing Follow us on Twitter: “Thank you to the men and women of the United States military who were responsible for completing the mission to shoot down the Chinese surveillance balloon. The Biden Administration did the right thing in bringing it down.”
Response
“They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it,” According to The Associated Press, President Joe Biden stated this after getting off Air Force One en-route to Camp David on Saturday.
As it approached the Atlantic coast, the balloon looked like a huge white orb. An F-22 fighter plane fired a missile on the balloon at 2:39 PM EST. The missile was fired while the balloon was 6 nautical miles offshore near Myrtle Beach. Senior defense officials confirmed the incident.
Americans looked up at the sky for the mystery balloon, and wondered if it had sailed over them.
On Saturday, Ashlyn Preaux, 33, went out to get her mail in Forestbrook, South Carolina, and noticed her neighbors looking up—and there it was, the balloon in the cloudless blue sky. She saw fighter jets flying overhead and the balloon being hit.
“I did not anticipate waking up to be in a ‘Top Gun’ movie today,” She said.
U.S. military and defense officials stated Saturday that the balloon had entered the U.S. Air Defense Zone north of the Aleutian Islands Jan. 28. It then moved over land through Alaska, and then into Canadian airspace in Canada’s Northwest Territories on Monday. The White House stated that the balloon crossed into the U.S. territory above northern Idaho on Tuesday.
This report was compiled by the Associated Press.
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