Spy Balloon shot down over Carolinas, Gov. McMaster speaks

In this photo provided by Brian Branch, a large balloon drifts above the Kingstown, N.C. area,...
In this photo provided by Brian Branch, a large balloon drifts above the Kingstown, N.C. area, with an airplane and its contrail seen below it. The United States says it is a Chinese spy balloon moving east over America at an altitude of about 60,000 feet (18,600 meters), but China insists the balloon is just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and has only limited “self-steering” capabilities.(Brian Branch | Brian Branch via AP)
Published: Feb. 4, 2023 at 3:48 PM EST
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster addressed a suspected Chinese spy balloon Saturday.

“Shortly after noon today, I was briefed by the Pentagon on plans to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon once it was safely off our coast. It appears that has just happened,” read the comment made by McMaster on Twitter.

At around 11 a.m. the balloon was reported to have been seen over parts of South Carolina.

Reports of the balloon being downed began surfacing in the afternoon at approximately an hour before McMaster made the comment.

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