Watch: Car-sized aircraft crashes into Beijing's tallest skyscraper; police seal off area
A car-sized aircraft reportedly crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, the CITIC Tower, causing damage to upper-floor glass panels. Authorities have not issued an official statement, and reports of the incident have been scrubbed from Chinese social media platforms.
Why it matters
The incident raises questions regarding aviation safety in dense urban environments and highlights the strict control of information within the Chinese digital landscape.
A car-sized aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, the 108-storey CITIC Tower, on Friday, according to two bystanders cited by Reuters.Police sealed off roads around the building, also known as China Zun, and prevented passersby from filming the scene.The CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, is a 108-storey skyscraper in eastern Beijing. The tallest building in the Chinese capital, it serves as the headquarters of the state-owned conglomerate CITIC Group.Two glass panels on one of the building's upper floors were damaged. Authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the incident.A courier who spoke to Reuters near the scene said he rushed to the CITIC Tower around 6 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) after hearing a loud crash as an aircraft about the size of a car struck the building."It was so loud – louder than fireworks," he said, as cited by Reuters.Posts about the incident were swiftly removed from Chinese social media. A search for the building's name on the Xiaohongshu app returned only posts dated Thursday.Catch the latest world news and top headlines. Download the TOI App.
The report relies on bystander accounts and notes the lack of official confirmation, maintaining a factual tone despite the censorship context.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in