Plane crashes into building in China, debris falls from skyscraper

3 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026 07:46 PM IST

China Plane Crash: The cause of the crash remains unknown. (Credit: X)

A small aircraft, about the size of a car, crashed into the CITIC Tower in Beijing’s Guomao district, sending debris falling from the skyscraper and smoke billowing into the air. The CITIC Tower, which houses the headquarters of the state-owned conglomerate CITIC Group, is the tallest skyscraper in Beijing.

While the exact cause of the crash remains unclear, authorities closed off roads around the skyscraper and stopped passersby from filming the scene, the Reuters reported.

With 109 floor, the CITIC tower is Beijing’s tallest building. (Photo: Wikipedia)

A small aircraft crashed into Beijing’s CITIC Tower, one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers, causing debris to fall from the building. pic.twitter.com/lmctAJzKJ8

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) June 26, 2026

With 108 floors, the CITIC tower is Beijing’s tallest building. Nicknamed ‘China Zun’ (ancient Chinese wine vessel), the CITIC tower houses office space in 60 floors, luxury apartments in 20 floors and a hotel with 300 rooms in 20 other floors.

The Reuters report said Beijing’s municipal government did not immediately respond to ‌a faxed request sent by them but it spoke to a courier near the building who said, “It was so ⁠loud – louder than fireworks,” describing the moment the plane crashed into the CITIC tower.

He said he had shot a video of the aircraft sticking ⁠out of the ‌building, but later deleted it because he was ​scared of getting caught by police, the report said.

突发，6月26日傍晚，北京中信大厦（中国尊）被一架小型飞机撞击，原因不明。 pic.twitter.com/Y2DyUHNxnl

— 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele) June 26, 2026

Moments after the crash, Beijing police closed some roads leading to the CITIC Tower located in the city’s central business direct, Reuters reported, adding that ⁠a ​glass panel on a high floor on the side of ​the ​building was missing. Police officers were also spotted stopping people from ​taking pictures and ⁠ushering people away from the building, the report added.

飞机撞击中信大厦时的现场画面 https://t.co/ITl78RJtzr pic.twitter.com/9MgtFBMzYK

— 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele) June 26, 2026

According to the Reuters, social media posts of the building on Friday were quickly removed from Chinese social media. A ​search of the building’s name on the Xiaohongshu ⁠app returned only posts dated Thursday. In fact, a police officer reportedly told ‌Reuters journalists ⁠to depart from the scene. Asked why they had to leave, the police officer said: “We all know why!”, the report added.

With Reuters inputs