The Chinese hot air balloon that was shot down off the US East Coast on Saturday has been recovered, new images released by the US Navy show.
The Navy and Coast Guard had good knowledge of where off Myrtle Beach, North Carolina the balloon was shot down. According to the air force, they had calculated where the best conditions existed to partly avoid harming civilians and partly to be able to take the balloon out of the sea relatively easily. The depth where it hit is estimated to be around 14 metres.
The images now released show a group of marines picking up parts of the balloon on a boat, images said to have been taken late Sunday.
The balloon and its contents must be carefully examined in order to determine whether it is a spy balloon and, if so, what information it has retrieved.
China has accused the US of “indiscriminate use of force” in the shooting, saying the incident has “seriously affected and damaged both sides’ efforts and progress in stabilizing China-US relations”.
See images from when the USA fishes up the balloon in the player above.