Panic As Plane Crashes Into Beijing’s Tallest Building

A small plane appeared to have crashed into the CITIC Tower, Beijing’s tallest building, on Friday, with witnesses reporting plane debris at the base of the skyscraper.

According to journalists at the scene, a hole in the windows of one of the upper floors of the 528-metre building, located near the headquarters of China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, in the eastern part of the capital.

The incident triggered panic around the area as police, ambulances and firefighters were deployed to the scene.

Video footage taken by a witness from a nearby building showed fire trucks spraying water on small flames near an outcropping close to the ground and on the pavement.

The footage also showed what appeared to be part of a small aircraft lying beside the building.

Another video circulating on Chinese social media appeared to show debris falling from the skyscraper, although AFP said it could not immediately verify the clip.

Police officers blocked people from taking photographs at the scene and declined requests for comment.

A witness, who works in finance, said the incident was difficult to understand.

“I don’t know why the plane would fly in here. It really is quite strange,” the witness said.

A woman who was in the building said she was instructed to evacuate through the stairs and avoid using the lifts.

“I ran down dozens of floors in a hurry,” she said.

Dozens of cleaners were seen near the police cordon before two men believed to be from the building’s property management team told them to leave.

A middle-aged woman who stood watching the building from the street said she was shocked by the incident.

A student at the scene said he rushed to the area after information about the crash was shared in an aviation enthusiast social media group.

He added that images and posts about the incident were being rapidly deleted online.

The CITIC Tower has 108 floors above ground and seven below and can accommodate about 12,000 office workers.

China maintains strict controls over its airspace, especially around Beijing’s urban areas, citing public security concerns.

In April, China banned the sale of drones in Beijing and required users to obtain permission for flights within the capital.

That same month, China also restricted civil aviation for 40 days over a large airspace off Shanghai, according to a notice to aviators published by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (USFAA).