A small aircraft apparently crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper on Friday afternoon, triggering a major emergency response in the Chinese capital. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
According to CNN, people inside the building were evacuated as fire engines, police vehicles, and ambulances rushed to the scene.
Videos circulating on social media showed debris falling from the 109-story CITIC Tower, popularly known as China Zun. Footage also appeared to show the tail section of the aircraft on the ground alongside a shattered taxi windshield.
The CITIC Tower, a 108-story landmark in eastern Beijing, serves as the headquarters of the state-owned CITIC Group and is the tallest building in the city. Images from the scene indicated that two glass panels on one of the upper floors had been damaged. Chinese authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the incident.
A large police presence was deployed around the area, with several roads leading to the skyscraper sealed off. Reuters reported that officers prevented bystanders from taking photographs and directed people away from the site.
CNN reported that the aircraft’s registration number appeared to identify it as a domestically built Sunward SA60L Aurora light sport aircraft operated by a local general aviation company.
Flight tracking information shared online from Flightradar24, though unverified, appeared to show the aircraft deviating significantly from its expected flight path before the crash.
Eyewitnesses recount the incident
A courier who spoke to Reuters said he rushed to the CITIC Tower at around 6 pm local time after hearing what he described as an extremely loud impact.
“It was so loud, louder than fireworks,” he said.
The witness added that he had recorded a video showing part of the aircraft lodged in the building but later deleted it out of fear that police might question him.
Another eyewitness said he arrived at the location after seeing unverified images on social media showing the wreckage of a small aircraft lying on a road beside the skyscraper.
Posts related to the incident were swiftly removed from Chinese social media platforms. Searches for the CITIC Tower on the Xiaohongshu app only displayed posts published before Friday, with no visible content related to the crash.
