Clean-up begins of suspected Chinese spy balloon as tall as 20-storey-building

The US military began collecting the remnants of a 60m tall suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the weekend, the US Department of Defence said on Monday.

The balloon shot down by a US Air Force fighter jet on Saturday and was comparable to the size of a 20-storey building.

The clean-up took place six miles off the coast of South Carolina which is where remnants of the balloon landed after being shot down.

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Air Force General Glen D. VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, said the recovery effort began at about 10am local time.

The debris collection effort was initially thwarted by rough seas, Glen D. VanHerck said.

The balloon was taken down by an F-22 Raptor fighter from the 1st Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

The Raptor fired one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at the balloon, which had floated south-eastward across the United States.

The balloon fell into about 50 feet of water.

Precautions are being taken during the salvage operation in case explosives or toxic substances are present, Gen VanHerck said.

He also said members of the public should not try to collect remnants of the balloon if they spot them, as it is possible that some would have floated ashore.

Instead, beachgoers are encouraged to inform local law enforcement if they come across any debris.

According to Gen VanHerck, the official job of debris collection is led by the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious landing ship, that is working in the vicinity of the splashdown.

The US Navy's Pathfinder, a survey ship, is mapping the ocean floor using sonar for the debris search.

With explosive ordnance members and at least one unmanned underwater vehicle also participating, it is "truly an interagency team effort", the General said.

The FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative agents are also working alongside salvage operations personnel, he added.

China insists that the flying object was a weather balloon that floated into the US airspace accidentally.

In a statement, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course."