The government said on Wednesday that the Chilean military dispatched a unit of fighter jets from the Punta Arenas air base in the southern part of the country in response to an alleged violation of its airspace by unidentified ships.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), at around 8:00pm in the eastern part of the Strait of Magellan, there was an alert of unidentified aircraft and in response, our Air Force implemented protocols to protect our sovereignty. ,” explained Chile’s Defense Minister Maya Fernandez.
“Subsequently, contact with this airline was lost and an investigation is currently underway. “To say that the Air Force executed the protocol and adequately protected our border and sovereignty,” he asserted.
A deployment of two F-5s, confirmed by Fernández, ended with surveillance of the area without finding any aircraft or devices.
For her part, the Chilean Interior Minister, Carolina Doha, who was consulted on the situation, reiterated what was indicated by her security representative.
“We have to clarify whether it was actually a ship, what type, it could have been private, it could not have been, it could have been a plane, it could have been a helicopter, all of these should be part of it. The investigation is ongoing,” Doha said.
In addition, the head of the interior said that contact has been made with the Argentine government through José Antonio Vieira-Gallo, the Chilean ambassador in Buenos Aires, to help clarify the event.
EFE