A small aircraft reportedly crashed into CITIC Tower, the world’s 10th-tallest and Beijing’s tallest building, on Friday evening, damaging the exterior of the 108-storey skyscraper.
Two eyewitnesses told Reuters that the aircraft appeared to be about the size of a car. The incident reportedly occurred at around 6:00 pm local time in Beijing’s central business district.
CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, serves as the headquarters of state-owned conglomerate CITIC Group.
Police quickly increased security around the building after the reported crash. Authorities closed several nearby roads to vehicles and directed members of the public away from the site.
Dozens of police vehicles and several fire engines were seen on roads surrounding the skyscraper.
Eyewitness Reports Loud Impact
A delivery worker near the building said he rushed towards CITIC Tower after hearing a powerful impact from a nearby location.
He described the sound as louder than fireworks and said he saw an aircraft lodged in the building.
The witness said he recorded a video of the scene. However, he later deleted it because he feared being stopped by police.
Another delivery worker said he arrived after seeing unverified social media images that appeared to show wreckage from a small aircraft on a road beside the tower.
Police Restrict Photography Near Building
Police reportedly stopped some people from photographing the scene. Officers also asked several bystanders to delete pictures they had already taken.
Authorities instructed Reuters journalists and other people in the area to leave.
Images from the scene showed visible damage to two glass panels on one of the building’s upper floors.
Meanwhile, posts about the incident appeared to disappear quickly from Chinese social media platforms. A search for the building on Xiaohongshu reportedly returned only posts published before Friday.
There was no immediate official statement explaining the cause of the incident, the type of aircraft involved or whether anyone had suffered injuries.
Beijing’s municipal government had also not responded to a request for comment at the time of the report.
Via: Reuters
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