China’s spy balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday afternoon.
The balloon crashed just before 14:40 Eastern Time.
The footage of the balloon plummeting from an altitude of 60,000 feet does not appear to show debris falling from the balloon. Earlier in the week, the Biden administration cited debris concerns as a justification for not shooting down the balloon.
Chinese spy balloon shot down. #ChineseSpyBalloon pic.twitter.com/2LNUUf0Qpr
— Devon Pace (@elitedevon) February 4, 2023
Video of the balloon getting shot down over Myrtle Beach!! pic.twitter.com/nGA5RXA14P
— Jason Sellers (@JasonSellers32) February 4, 2023
CNN reports that Navy Coast Guard warships were on standby to gather any falling balloon debris.
CNN reported that two Air Force KC-135R refueling tankers were in position Saturday morning off the coast of South Carolina. The planes were around 20,000 feet in the air. A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules was flying at approximately 4,000 feet off the coast of North Carolina.
Following the implementation of a ground stop by the Federal Aviation Administration to ban landings and takeoffs from Wilmington, North Carolina, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston, South Carolina, this action was taken.
Great video of the balloon getting shot down over Myrtle Beach #Chinesespyballoon #Balloon pic.twitter.com/yxta2Pj1Cn
— myrtle beach mafia (@zman_mma) February 4, 2023
More on this story via The Western Journal:
The balloon first attracted public controversy Wednesday as it hovered near multiple military sites in Montana. China has insisted that the balloon was a civilian airship that went off course.
A report on Bloomberg said that U.S. officials were aware of the balloon back on Jan. 28, when it first entered American airspace over the Aleutian Islands. The balloon then drifted into Canada before returning over Idaho on Tuesday. CONTINUE READING…