In a statement on Saturday, the Chaoyang district government said that only the pilot was in the two-seater plane when it hit Citic Tower.

In addition, 13 people were injured in the incident.

The statement, issued after hours of silence, said the crash took place at 5:55 pm Saturday and that the circumstances surrounding the crash were still under investigation. It did not name the building and only referred it as a skyscraper near to the East third ring road.

The incident triggered the building’s evacuation and scattered debris across the Chinese capital’s central business district.

More to follow ...