ALBAWABA - A plane crashed into Beijing’s CITIC 528-meter tower on Friday, leaving the pilot dead and 13 other injured on the scene, according to the Chinese authorities who declined to elaborate further on the incident.
Authorities in the capital's Chaoyang District said in a statement shared on WeChat that "a single-engine, two-seat light aircraft crashed into a high-rise building" at 5:55 pm (0955 GMT) on Friday.
"The only person on board was the pilot, who died, and 13 people were injured at the scene," said the statement, the first official comment about the incident, adding that they were: “conducting further investigation into the incident”.
Videos show the authority arriving hastily on the scene with fire trucks seen blasting water on the fires from the crash - along with ambulances and police.
A student told AFP that he rushed to the scene as soon as he saw the crash on local social media, adding that the Chinese government was quickly deleting all posts and photos regarding the incident.
China imposes strict restrictions on its airspace, especially over Beijing’s urban center, recently banning the sale of drones in the capital and requiring users to apply for a permit to fly in the capital.
The incident received no coverage on Chinese news outlets; fueling suspicions of possible foul play or security breach - while the story is still developing; the Chinese government will do their utmost not to release any new details to the public.
