Watch: The moment US military shot down Chinese 'spy' balloon

This still image taken from a cellphone video by Haley Walsh in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, shows an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon after it was shot down.

South Carolina's Haley Walsh was ready with her phone camera when she saw US military aircrafts circling the suspected Chinese spy balloon above Myrtle Beach in the US. Soon enough, she shared a video of a fighter jet shooting down the suspected surveillance device.

Walsh said she "heard and felt the explosion".

Heard and felt the explosion in Myrtle Beach, SC #ChineseSpyBalloon #Balloon pic.twitter.com/ADKcdLFIBQ

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— Haley Walsh (@haleyewalsh) February 4, 2023

The Chinese "spy" balloon appeared to disintegrate in a white puff before its remnants dropped vertically into the Atlantic Ocean below. Another video shot by Walsh shows the fighter jets circling the balloon before shooting it down.

Hello, there! Fighter jets flying around the balloon in Myrtle Beach, SC #ChineseSpyBalloon #Balloon pic.twitter.com/AJkQAzCgsN

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— Haley Walsh (@haleyewalsh) February 4, 2023

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called shooting the suspected spy balloon down a "deliberate and lawful action" that came in response to China's "unacceptable violation of our sovereignty."

But China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs blasted the US action in a statement Sunday morning, saying the downing of the "civilian" aircraft was "clearly overreacting and seriously violating international practice."

Read more: What is a spy balloon? China's 'surveillance' device shot down in US

Saturday afternoon was the military's first chance to take down the balloon "in a way that would not pose a threat to the safety of Americans," a senior defense official told reporters, while still allowing authorities to collect the fallen debris from US territorial waters.

President Joe Biden, who earlier Saturday had promised "to take care" of the balloon, congratulated the fighter pilots involved.

"They successfully took it down. And I want to compliment our aviators who did it," Biden told reporters in Maryland.

(With inputs from agencies)