Plane crashes into tallest building in Beijing as footage of horrific incident surfaces

An aircraft has struck the tallest building in Beijing, sending debris tumbling from the sky in the Chinese capital.

The incident, which happened on June 26 at around 6pm local time according to eyewitnesses, saw crowds fleeing the area around the skyscraper as wreckage from the plane and the building plummeted to the ground.

The skyscraper is called the CITIC Tower, also known as the China Zun, and acts as a headquarters for one of the largest financial corporations in China, Citic Group.

Dramatic video footage captured the aftermath of the collision, with the impact leaving visible damage to the 109-story-tall building.

In the footage, what appears to be a tail section of the plane is seen falling down the side of the building into the busy streets below.

One witness, who gave the name Zhang, works in a gym nearby and said that he saw the aircraft hit the tower.

Debris falling down the skyscraper following the crash (X/Aviation Safety Network)

He said that following the collision a woman was taken to hospital in an ambulance with a head injury.

Meanwhile, police reportedly closed off at least one major road close to the skyscraper, with police cars and metal gates barring the way according to reports.

At present it has not been made clear if there are any casualties following the incident.

The tower was completed back in 2018 and is a landmark in Beijing, towering above the sprawling city.

Some damage was visible to the exterior of the building, though it appears that it was relatively limited to a small section of the building.

Online images circulated of the aircraft's tail, which still had the plane's registration number intact following the crash.

CITIC Tower in Beijing (Maxim Shemetov Pool/Getty Images)

This pointed to a plane which had been manufactured in China, a light aircraft called a Sunward SA 60L Aurora which was owned by a local aviation business, according to CNN.

Unverified reports have claimed that the aircraft deviated from its designated flight path prior to the collision, and that the pilot had been alone on the aircraft, which had reportedly taken off from Shifosi Airport approximately half an hour before the crash according to Global.hk.

At present the cause of the crash is not known.

Beijing has a very strictly controlled airspace, with new rules effectively banning the unauthorized use of drones above the Chinese capital.

These new reforms barred residents from renting, buying, or flying drones in the city limits with approval of the government.