HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County is warning beachgoers of possible debris from a suspected Chinese spy balloon that may wash to the coastline.
Anyone who sees debris is asked to contact 843-248-1520. Police said the debris is part of a federal investigation and no one is to touch or remove it.
North Myrtle Beach police issued a similar warning, saying anyone who sees debris should call the city’s non-emergency line at 843-280-5511.
The debris is from the balloon, which was shot down off the Carolina coast at about 2:40 p.m. on Saturday.
Fighter jets shot down the giant white balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that Biden approved the shootdown on Wednesday, saying it should be done “as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to American lives under the balloon’s path.”
Austin said that due to the size and altitude of the balloon , which was moving at about 60,000 feet in the air, the military had determined that taking it down over land would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
