The U.S. military has shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon flown over America in the past week.
The balloon was shot down on Saturday over the Atlantic Ocean.
The U.S. government says it is “confident” the surveillance balloon is from the People’s Republic of China.
However, China said the ballon is a weather ship blown astray and has urged “cool-headed” handling of the situation.
China, on Saturday said it had “never violated the territory and airspace of any sovereign country”.
The US government had said it would shoot the balloon down while it’s over the Atlantic Ocean where it wouldn’t harm any individuals on the ground.
Three airports were closed and airspace was shut down off the South Carolina coast as US military planes targeted the object over the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the AP news agency, footage showed the balloon falling to the sea after a small explosion.
In another development, the US reported a second Chinese balloon floating over Latin America on Friday.
According to US officials, the balloon floated over Alaska and Canada before appearing over the US state of Montana, which is home to a number of sensitive nuclear missile sites.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
