A light sport aircraft hit Beijing’s tallest skyscraper, Citic Tower, on Friday, triggering evacuations and scattering debris across the Chinese capital’s central business district.
It was not immediately clear whether the crash caused any casualties or how many people had been on board the aircraft. The origin of the aerial vehicle and the circumstances leading to the crash were also unknown.
Videos posted to social media showed the aircraft striking the upper floors of the 528-metre (1,732-foot) tower, with chunks of wreckage falling onto the surrounding pavement and green space. Additional footage showed people being evacuated from the building.
A woman surnamed Lin told the South China Morning Post that she had been urgently evacuated from the building at 6pm.
“I ran out without my ID card or bag,” she said.
A bystander who works in a nearby building said he had heard a loud noise at around 5.40pm, but added that he had not seen the crash. Police cordoned off the roads surrounding the site of the incident and dispersed the crowd, maintaining a heavy police presence around the skyscraper.
Several ambulances were also seen parked near the building.