An aircraft roughly the size of a car crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday evening, triggering a major emergency response and a heavy police presence as authorities sealed off the area and gave no immediate explanation for the incident.
The aircraft struck the 108-storey CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, the headquarters of CITIC Group in Beijing's central business district.
Witnesses told Reuters they heard a loud, explosion-like sound at around 6 p.m. local time before seeing emergency services converge on the scene.
"It was so loud - louder than fireworks," one courier said, adding that the aircraft appeared to be about the size of a car.
The impact reportedly shattered two glass panels on one of the building's upper floors.
An office worker in a nearby building said she later saw a large object covered by a blue tarp on a road beside the skyscraper, surrounded by police vehicles, ambulances and fire engines.
Authorities quickly sealed off roads leading to the tower, preventing pedestrians from approaching and discouraging photography.
Witnesses said police instructed people to delete photos and videos taken at the scene, while officers directed onlookers away from the area.
One courier said he had recorded footage showing part of the aircraft lodged in the building but later deleted the video because he feared repercussions from police.
Meanwhile, social media posts related to the incident were rapidly removed from Chinese platforms. Searches for the building on the Xiaohongshu (RedNote) platform returned only posts published before Friday.
Officials have not confirmed whether the aircraft was manned or unmanned, nor have they disclosed any information about casualties or damage beyond the visible impact.
It also remains unclear whether the incident was accidental or deliberate.
The crash has raised questions because airspace over central Beijing is subject to some of China's strictest flight restrictions, making unauthorised aircraft activity highly unusual.
"It's very strange for a plane to fly into this area," one bystander told Reuters.
As of Friday evening, Beijing city authorities had not issued an official statement, and requests for comment had gone unanswered.
Reuters journalists at the scene were later instructed by police to leave the area. When asked why, one officer reportedly replied: "We all know why!"
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