Soldiers search for suspected observation balloon in northern Poland

Troops have renewed their search for a suspected surveillance balloon that was detected on Friday night flying from the direction of Belarus.

Fifty soldiers of the Territorial Defence Force (WOT) were looking for the object around the village of Kaleje in the Mazowieckie province, north of Warsaw, a WOT spokesman said.

"Since the morning, 50 soldiers from the 8th Kujasko-Pomorskie Territorial Defence Brigade have been working there," WOT press officer Witold Sura told PAP.

Radar contact was lost with the object near the village of Kowalki close to Rypin in the northern Kujawsko-Pomorskie province at 1 a.m. Saturday. WOT troops started combing the area for the object on Saturday morning, as well as near the village of Kipichy, Mazowieckie. The search continued on Sunday.

The Government Safety Centre (RCB) issued an alert on Saturday for three northern provinces with advice not to touch the object, if found, and to contact the police.

"A search is ongoing for an aerial object resembling a balloon," the RCB wrote on Twitter and also sent to residents of the three provinces by text message. "If found, do not pick it up, inform the nearest police station."