NEAR MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (KFOR/Storyful) – The United States Navy just released photos of sailors recovering the remnants of what the US Department of Defense is calling a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
An F-22 Raptor shot down the alleged spy balloon on February 4th, after the Pentagon chose to wait days after the balloon was spotted until it reached the Atlantic, fearing its fall could injure civilians on the ground.
According to NBC News, weather conditions hampered diving on Sunday, so military divers took to the water on Monday with robotic underwater equipment to collect sunken debris six miles off the coast.
China’s Foreign Ministry claims the 200-foot-tall balloon was a “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” which it stated was veered off course by strong winds, and no steering ability to get it back on track.
Pentagon officials said the balloon, which was as tall as a 20-story building, definitely had steering capabilities and was being used for the sole purpose of spying.
US Fleet Forces released the photos, tweeting “Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023.”
