Shocking video shows debris falling from the 1,732-foot-tall CITIC Tower, also known as the Zun Tower, the tallest building in Beijing, China, after a plane crashed into it on Friday at around 6 p.m. local time.
In the video, debris and broken glass can be seen falling dozens of stories onto the street below, along with what appeared to be the tail of a small aircraft.
Roads around the skyscraper were closed off by police. Sky News reports that authorities also told individuals being escorted away from the building to stop snapping photos and requested that others delete photos they had already taken. Posts about the building on Chinese social media on Friday were swiftly being removed.
“It was so loud – louder than fireworks,” said a courier who spoke to Reuters. He added that he recorded a video of the plane protruding from the building, but he later erased it out of fear of being accosted by police.
Thick smoke was seen coming out of the ground floor of the building, and it has reportedly been evacuated. Several ambulances, police cars and fire trucks were seen parked near the building. Authorities have yet to issue a statement about the incident.
The aircraft’s flight path appeared to have deviated significantly off its intended route, according to Flightradar24 data shared on X. It was currently unclear where the plane originated or what caused the crash.
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