Plane crashes into 1,700ft skyscraper in Beijing before plummeting to ground sparking evacuation

A PLANE has crashed into a 109-storey building in China sparking a major evacuation.

Beijing’s CITIC Tower was hit by the small plane at around 6pm local time.

The planes wreckage scattered beneath the building

The surface of the building damaged after the plane crashed

Two of the buildings windows were shattered by the impact that caused the aircraft to completely break apart.

Shocking footage shows fragments of the plane plummeting to the ground.

Thick smoke was seen rising from the buildings ground floor where the wreckage was scattered.

The number of casualties remains unclear.

The CITIC tower is Beijing’s tallest skyscraper

A section of the plane after it crashed down to the ground

Dramatic images show a gaping hole in the side of the tower – the tallest in Beijing.

The super high-rise skyscraper is located in the central business district of Chaoyang District.

Often referred to as China Zun, the building rises up 1,700ft.

The plane was reportedly a B-12PP aircraft, according to local media.

Its pilot was flying solo and had taken off from Shifosi Airport just half an hour earlier, Global.hk reports.

The plane was preparing to return to the airport for landing at 5.40pm but it deviated from the flight path, the outlet said.

Flight monitoring tracked the plane until it lost signal in the area of ​​Beijing’s East Fifth Ring Road.

The aircraft then lost contact and could not be reached.

The tower, also known as China Zun, is 1,700ft tall

The damaged exterior of CITIC Tower after the crash

It comes after a jet carrying five people smashed into a low-rise building in Brazil.

The mayor’s son, Moreira Souto, 36, was identified as one of the victims.

Footage showed the aircraft circling the Silveira area before colliding with a low-rise building.

The pilot, named as Wellington Oliveira, 34, also died, according to Globo.

He was trapped in the wreckage, while three others were seriously injured, the local fire department said. No one in the building was injured.

Emergency services were scrambled to the scene of the crash at 12.25pm.

Avani Soares, who lives in the building which was hit by the aircraft said she thought “the world had ended”.

She told Globo: “Everything went dark, a lot of debris fell, and I thought, ‘The world has ended.’

“On the other floor, there were people screaming for help. I didn’t know what to do.”

The Civil Police from Minas Gerais (PCMG) have launched an investigation into the crash.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video

Read Next Article