Aircraft impact on Beijing skyscraper mobilizes police and causes removal of content on social media
A small aircraft crashed into the tallest building in Beijing, the Chinese capital, last Friday. Witnesses reported the incident, which led to a quick closure of the streets near the skyscraper by police, while authorities remained silent about what happened.
The building hit is the renowned CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun. It is an imposing 108-story skyscraper, located in the heart of Beijing’s central business district, and serves as the headquarters for the state-owned conglomerate CITIC Group.
The impact scene was marked by an intense presence of police forces, who blocked several access roads for vehicle traffic.
Initial reports indicate that two glass panels on one of the higher floors sustained damage. There was no immediate official position from the local government, and a request for information to the city hall received no response outside business hours.
A delivery man, who was in the crowd gathered near the building, said he ran towards the CITIC Tower at around 6pm (local time), after hearing a loud bang caused by the collision of the aircraft, described as the size of a car.
According to his description, the noise was “extremely loud – more powerful than fireworks.”
One of the notable actions taken by the police was asking people to delete any images they had recorded of the incident.
The same courier revealed that he filmed the aircraft moving away from the building, but chose to delete the video later, fearing reprisals from the authorities.
Leia Também
Messi reaches 19 goals in FIFA World Cups with great free kick for Argentina in clash with Jordan
Cristiano Ronaldo shines beyond the pitch at the 2026 World Cup with business empire and family luxury
At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo reaffirms his historic legacy and prepares to shine in the 2026 World Cup
Police agents actively prevented the capture of new photos and demanded the deletion of others already taken, while removing people from the scene. Dozens of vehicles and several fire trucks lined the adjacent streets.
Another delivery man reported having arrived at the scene after viewing unverified images on social media, which showed the wreckage of a small aircraft on a road near the building.
In a quick move, posts about the building on social media were removed from Chinese platforms. A search for the skyscraper’s name on the Xiaohongshu (Red Note) app only yielded content from before Friday.
An employee from a neighboring office observed, at around 6:45 pm, a blue tarp covering a large object, “the size of a Beetle”, on the street next to the building, seen from her work window.
The 39-year-old woman described: “I was on my way to dinner when someone mentioned that a plane had crashed into the building next door. So we went to the window and saw police cars, ambulances and the blue tarpaulin in the street.”
It is still unclear whether the crash was accidental or intentional, a crucial detail considering that airspace in central Beijing is notoriously restricted.
One of the witnesses at the scene told Reuters that he also heard the intense noise and considered it “very strange for a plane to fly in this area.”
A police officer later ordered the Reuters journalists to leave. When asked why, the officer responded with an enigmatic phrase: “We all know why!”
