In brief

• A non-armed Alpha Wing test drone crashed into the Baltic Sea about 6 km off Ustka on 24 October after an engine failure.
• Military gendarmerie warns that currents and wind may carry the wreckage toward shore.
• Residents are asked not to touch debris, to step away, warn others and call 112.

Drone lost during test flights off Ustka

Poland's military gendarmerie has said it is investigating how an unmanned aircraft went missing during test flights at the Ustka training ground in the Pomeranian region (Польські військові загубили дрон, тепер попереджають громадян – Українська правда). The aircraft, an Alpha Wing model, was being flown by a civilian company when an engine failure forced it down about 6 kilometres from the shore at 9:35 on Saturday, 24 October (Żandarmeria Wojskowa ostrzega mieszkańców. Dron spadł do Bałtyku – TVN24) („Nie dotykaj, oddal się, ostrzeż innych”. Pilny komunikat żandarmerii wojskowej – RMF24).

Warning to beachgoers and residents

Authorities say the drone was not armed and had no combat features. Because of wind and sea currents, however, the wreckage could drift toward the coast, and the gendarmerie has warned that it may wash ashore (Dron nagle zniknął podczas testów. Żandarmeria Wojskowa apeluje – Interia Wydarzenia) (Dron spadł do Bałtyku. Ważny apel Żandarmerii Wojskowej – Onet). People who spot the drone, any of its parts or another unidentified object are asked not to touch or move it, to step away, to warn others nearby and to call the emergency number 112.

Earlier finds on the Polish coast

The gendarmerie's appeal comes after other debris was recovered along the Polish coast. On 13 October, fragments were found on a beach in Karwia, in the Pomeranian region, and were identified as parts of an experimental drone from the Military Institute of Aviation Technology. Separately, the gendarmerie said it had located an aircraft belonging to a NATO country's military in the Subcarpathian region.

Search continues

The search for the drone in the Baltic is ongoing, according to the gendarmerie's statement on social media. Anyone who finds debris is asked to keep a safe distance and report it immediately.