Update: Rare light aircraft crash in Beijing kills pilot, injures 13 people

A light aircraft crash into Beijing’s tallest building on Friday killed ​the pilot and injured 13 people who were not on ‌board, the local government said following the unusual accident for the Chinese capital, where airspace is heavily restricted. Those injured are receiving medical treatment and authorities are ​investigating the incident, Chaoyang district government said in a statement ​on Saturday. “A single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft collided with ⁠a high-rise building while flying near the East third ring road ​in Chaoyang, at 5:55 p.m. (0955 GMT) on June 26,” said the ​statement, which was posted on social media.

“There was only one person on board, the pilot, who died,” the statement added, without giving any further details of ​the possible cause of the crash. Damage to the facade of the ​skyscraper appeared to be limited to a hole caused by the loss of ‌two ⁠large glass panels. The gap had been temporarily boarded up as of Saturday. Reuters reported on Friday the crash into the 528-metre-high building, known as CITIC Tower or China Zun, in Beijing’s Central Business ​District. It is about ​6 km (3.7 ⁠miles) from the Forbidden City visited by thousands of tourists each day. It is also near Zhongnanhai, a ​compound that houses the offices of China’s top ​political leadership. The ⁠incident follows Beijing’s ban since May on buying, renting or flying drones without authorization, due to public security concerns.

The last aircraft crash in ⁠Beijing ​was in 2022, when a tourist helicopter ​crashed during a flight between the Changping and Fangshan districts, killing the two pilots ​on board.

Source: Rare light aircraft crash in Beijing kills pilot, injures 13 people | Reuters

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John 6:27

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Crews working California chemical leak in Orange County make cautious progress in overnight operation, officials say

workers in a city

California firefighters made cautious progress during an all-night operation Sunday to test the pressure inside a cracked tank at the center of a toxic chemical leak in Orange County, officials told CBS News, as more than 50,000 people remain under evacuation orders. In an incident update posted on X, Orange County Fire Authority Interim Chief TJ McGovern said that crews would conduct the mission overnight to confirm that the “BLEVE threat,” or Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion, was eliminated.  “The BLEVE threat is the worst-case catastrophic event that we’ve been talking about. We are not there yet; we need to run this operation tonight,” McGovern said. “The worst-case scenario is still possible.” He said that an update in the morning would reveal the results of the overnight tank inspection to determine if pressure was released or if there was a vapor buildup inside the tank. 

As of 6:40 a.m. local time Monday, OCFA has not offered an update on the status of the operation. In an earlier post, McGovern said that crews discovered a crack in the tank on Saturday night, which could be due to a pressure release. He said that it could alter the strategy as crews search for a solution to the crisis. “With this new information, it could change our trajectory and our strategy to this event,” he said at the time. “Last night was a successful operation for this emerging incident.” The Orange County Fire Authority told CBS LA on Sunday evening that multiple cracks existed in the tank. But in a post to X later that night, the agency qualified those reports, saying: “To clarify, there is one known crack on the tank. There is also peeling of weather stripping on the exterior, but this is not an additional crack.”

Source: Crews working California chemical leak in Orange County make cautious progress in overnight operation, officials say – CBS Los Angeles

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9

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