FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania was forced to close its operations for the fourth time in two weeks after several balloons suspected to be helium-filled balloons appeared in Lithuanian airspace.
The National Crisis Management Center (NKMC) confirmed the incident, noting that these aerial objects, originating from Belarus, are being used to smuggle illegal cigarettes. According to Lithuanian authorities, the small balloons, similar to party balloons, are a new and unusual method of smugglers to transport prohibited goods across the border.
"This is not just a joke, these balloons endanger air safety and our economy ," a NKMC spokesperson said in an official statement.
Air safety teams reacted immediately, identifying and neutralizing the balloons near the airport area, thus avoiding any more serious incidents.
This is the latest in a series of bizarre incidents that began last week. Authorities have seized hundreds of packs of cigarettes smuggled in previous balloons, which fly at low altitudes and evade traditional radar.
"The balloons come from the border areas of Belarus and carry significant quantities of duty-free cigarettes, undermining our fight against smuggling ," a Lithuanian Customs official explained.
Lini një Përgjigje