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Downed Chinese balloon aimed for Hawaii but was blown off course, US official says

The balloon drifted across Alaska's Aleutian Islands, then Canada and the central US before it was shot down by the US military off the coast of South Carolina on Feb 4.

Reuters
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In this US Navy handout, Sailors assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a high-altitude balloon for transport to federal agents at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Feb 10. Photo: AFP
In this US Navy handout, Sailors assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a high-altitude balloon for transport to federal agents at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Feb 10. Photo: AFP

US officials believe a Chinese balloon that was shot down after crossing the continental United States originally had a trajectory that would have taken it over Guam and Hawaii but was blown off course by prevailing winds, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday.

The balloon, which Washington accuses Beijing of using for surveillance and China says was a civilian research vessel, drifted across Alaska's Aleutian Islands, then Canada and the central US before it was shot down by the US military off the coast of South Carolina on Feb 4.

The incident has further strained US-China relations and prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing last week.

US military and intelligence agencies tracked the balloon from when it lifted off from Hainan Island near China's south coast, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

The US military said on Monday it had recovered critical electronics from the balloon as well as large sections of the vessel itself.

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