U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships have been deployed to the area of the Atlantic Ocean where the wreckage of the downed Chinese balloon allegedly landed on Saturday, in search of clues to clarify whether it was an espionage device or for research purposes, as Beijing claims.
U.S. authorities have established a perimeter to try to avoid intrusions and already assume that they will have to resort to divers or unmanned equipment to recover the wreckage, according to official sources quoted by CNN. They estimate that they may be about 15 meters deep.
The experts have not made any kind of estimate for now, although the sources consulted do expect the wreckage to be in the government’s possession in «a relatively short time». «I don’t think it will be months or weeks,» a source told CNN.
The authorities have also asked for help from the local population, to prevent citizens from interfering in the investigations. Police in Horry County, South Carolina, have asked citizens to raise the alarm if they see any suspicious objects: «Do not touch, move or remove the remains».
The balloon was first sighted last Tuesday over Montana and crossed the country to the east coast until it reached the Atlantic on Saturday, where it has been finally shot down. Senior Pentagon officials had warned of the risk of shooting down the device over land because of the danger of the wreckage causing damage.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
