The US military released the first official images of its Chinese spy balloon recovery efforts Tuesday — as sailors continued to trawl the South Carolina coast for debris from the downed craft.
Navy personnel were pictured hauling large sections of the high-altitude balloon — which US officials say measured 200 feet tall — from the waters off Myrtle Beach after the surveillance device was shot down on Saturday.
In one image, half-a-dozen sailors could be seen dragging pieces of the balloon’s white material envelope and sections of metal onto a vessel.
Military officials haven’t yet determined the condition of the device — or how many pieces it may be in — and unmanned underwater vehicles are now being used to track and retrieve the debris.
Air Force General Glen VanHerck of the US North American Aerospace Defense Command and Northern Command (NORCOM), stated Monday that the Navy was taking precautions during the recovery to protect against explosives.
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