A small plane crashed into Beijing's CITIC Tower, the Chinese capital's tallest building, on Friday, according to eyewitnesses and videos circulated on social media.
A crowd of onlookers gathered outside the more than 100-story skyscraper following the incident, including a courier who told Reuters he rushed over around 6 p.m. local time after the crash.
"It was so loud—louder than fireworks," said the man, whose identity was not shared.
"A small plane seems to have hit the tower," the person who uploaded the second video wrote. "Small aircraft wreckage fell to the street below. Online discussions on the incident are being censored."
Two glass panels were damaged in the crash, and police maintained a heavy presence outside the building as several nearby roads were closed to traffic, Reuters reported. The outlet said local authorities prevented onlookers from taking pictures of the crash and asked those who did to delete the photos.
The CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, is located in Beijing's central business district and serves as the headquarters for CITIC Group, a Chinese state-owned financial conglomerate.
Government officials have not publicly commented on the crash or released any information about the incident. Requests for comment from Beijing's municipal government were not immediately returned.
The Aviation Safety Network identified the aircraft as a Sunward Aurora SA60L, noting that the plane was owned by Dongshi Shuangyue General Aviation. A representative for the aviation company could not immediately be reached for comment.
Officials said the entire administrative area of Beijing was "designated as controlled airspace," adding that all outdoor flights require prior approval.