In Beijing, a light aircraft crashed into CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, the tallest building in the Chinese capital, international media report with reference to CNN.
According to media reports, the incident occurred on Friday afternoon. Fire trucks, police cars and an ambulance were spotted near the skyscraper. People from the building, according to preliminary information, were evacuated.
Reuters, citing its own eyewitnesses, reported that police increased their presence near CITIC Tower, part of the roads to the building were closed to traffic, and law enforcement officers did not allow passers-by to photograph the site. The agency’s correspondent also noticed a missing glass panel on one of the upper floors of the tower.
No official information about the causes of the incident, casualties or the extent of damage had been received at the time of publication.
CITIC Tower is located in Beijing’s business district and is the headquarters of the state conglomerate CITIC Group. The skyscraper is also known as China Zun. Its height is 528 m; it is the tallest building in Beijing and one of the most recognizable high-rise structures of the Chinese capital.
According to Arup, which participated in the CITIC Tower project, the building’s height is 528 m. Different sources indicate 108 or 109 above-ground floors, which is connected with differences in the methodology for counting technical levels and storeys.
CITIC Tower was completed in 2018 and became the architectural dominant feature of Beijing’s central business district. Because of the building’s location in one of the capital’s most guarded areas, the incident attracted increased attention from international media.
