Small Plane Reportedly Crashes Into Beijing Skyscraper
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A small plane reportedly crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, the Citic Tower.
- Witnesses reported seeing aircraft debris and a hole in the upper floors of the building.
- Chinese media has not reported the incident, and social media posts appear to be censored.
A small aircraft appears to have crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday, with witnesses reporting seeing aircraft debris and a hole in the upper floors of the Citic Tower. Journalists observed smoke billowing from the 528-meter building in the capital's business district. Videos shared on Chinese social media, which AFP could not verify, appeared to show debris falling from the tower. The Citic Tower is located near the headquarters of China Central Television. Police declined to comment on the incident. Chinese media has not reported the event, and social media posts related to the incident have been censored, according to witnesses. "It's really very strange," said one witness who asked to remain anonymous. Another man, who claimed to work in the Citic Tower, stated, "When I went out, I saw debris. It looked like a part of an airplane." Occupants of the tower were reportedly ordered to evacuate via the stairs. The incident would be highly unusual in Beijing, a city under extremely strict security measures. China imposes strict restrictions on its airspace, especially over the capital. In 2013, two tourists died in Tiananmen Square when a car crashed into a crowd on a sidewalk before catching fire; authorities attributed the act to terrorists.
I don't know why this plane came to fly here. It's really very strange.
Originally published by TVN Panamรก in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.