A small aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building on Saturday, with global flight tracking service provider Flightradar24 confirming the crash involved a Sunward SA 60L Aurora.
The aircraft departed from an airport roughly 50 kilometres east of Beijing and was travelling westward when it collided with the tower just before 6pm local time, east of the East Third Ring Road.
The plane hit the CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, which stands more than 528 metres tall across 108 stories. The structure resembles an ancient Chinese wine vessel and is one of Beijing's most recognisable skyscrapers.
Associated Press photographs showed an apparent breach in the glass exterior on one side of the tower. Images and videos circulated on social media appeared to show debris from a light plane near the skyscraper. One image of wreckage displayed a partial registration reading B-12, with the complete registration being B-12PP.
A fire alarm was triggered in the building following the crash. A heavy police presence, fire engines and ambulances were deployed outside the tower. Crowds assembled to watch and photograph the scene, but police told them to stop photographing and leave.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known as of Saturday evening. Details about the pilot were not immediately available, and there was no immediate information on whether anyone on the ground was injured or killed.
Chinese authorities had not issued a statement about the incident, and state media had not reported the crash. Social media posts about the collision were removed from China's internet, though footage circulated on overseas platforms including X.
Beijing maintains strict airspace controls, including a recent ban on drones. Last month, authorities enacted new restrictions effectively banning the sale and operation of consumer drones within the capital.