‘Significant’ debris from China spy balloon retrieved, says US military

US Navy personnel secure debris from a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon recovered in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. Photograph: Us Navy/Reuters

The US military has recovered “significant debris” from a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down this month, the Pentagon has said, after the White House claimed China had been operating a high-altitude balloon program spying on the US and its allies for many years.

The US Northern Command said in a statement: “Crews have been able to recover significant debris from the site, including all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces identified as well as large sections of the structure.”