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MILAN, Italy (CNN) -- A small plane has hit a skyscraper in central Milan, setting the top floors of the 30-storey building on fire and killing at least one person.

There were conflciting reports as to whether it was a terrorist attack or an accident after the pilot of the Piper tourist plane reported that he had lost control.

The plane, en route from Sofia in Bulgaria to Rome, Italy, smashed into the Pirelli building's 26th floor at 5:50 p.m. (1450 GMT) on Thursday.

There were reports of office workers trapped in the building's elevators.

The building houses government offices and is next to the city's central train station. Several storeys of the building were engulfed in fire.

Italian TV showed a huge gaping hole in the side of the Pirelli building with smoke pouring from the opening.


Dozens of firefighters are at the scene
RAI state TV reported that the plane had apparently radioed an SOS because of engine trouble.

Earlier though, in Rome, the senate's president, Marcello Pera, said it "very probably" appeared to be a terrorist attack.

Police and ambulances are at the scene. Many people were on the streets as they left work for the evening at the time of the crash.

TV pictures from the scene evoked horrific memories of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the collapse of the building's twin towers.

"I heard a strange bang so I went to the window and outside I saw the windows of the Pirelli building blown out and then I saw smoke coming from them," said Gianluca Liberto, an engineer who was working in the area told Reuters.

The building is known as the Pirelli skyscraper but the Italian tyre and cable company does not operate out of the building.

The Pirelli skyscraper, located near the central train station, is one of the world's tallest concrete buildings. It is about 415 feet high and was designed in the 1950s by architects Gio Ponti and Pier Luigi Nervi. The building is one of the main symbols of Milan, along with the city's cathedral.


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From CNN.

Littiz, if you are reading this!!!

Hi Littiz (and other Italian GameBanshee members),

I read this sad news on GameBanshee before reading it on CNN and the local 24 hour news channel!

I am sorry to hear it; how's the situation in Italy? Hope you and your family members are fine.

The BBC is reporting that the Minister of the Interior has said it was "probably just an accident." This was announced as a deliberate reversal of the Senate President's earlier remarks. The pilot was in a small private plane, and was the only person in it. He sent out a mayday call a couple of minutes before crashing.

Originally posted by Rob-hin
MILAN, Italy (CNN) -- A small plane has hit a skyscraper in central Milan, setting the top floors of the 30-storey building on fire and killing at least one person.

I just saw on the news that the death count is at 3 now, with dozens injured.

I just read the news on Quicken that the Dow Jones and Nasdaq had fallen on the Milan plane accident.

Thankfully, it wasn't a(nother) terrorist attack, otherwise there will be hell to pay in the world stock markets tomorrow.

Originally posted by Sailor Saturn
I just heard that, apparently, the pilot was, as my dad put it, very experienced, that he was 75-years-old.

Oh sh*t... unnecessary deaths.

Here's what I've heard so far:

Pro accident:

- the pilot reported his landing gear was damaged
- witnesses said the aircraft was actually already burning when it
hit the Pirelli Tower
- Italian authorities officially state that they believe in an accident

Pro terrorist attack:

- the Pirelli Tower ist the only skyscraper in Milan and the sight was clear.
- air traffic over Milan has been interdicted, the main railwaystation is closed. The police is searching for bombs at several locations in the city.
- though the aircraft type is a small one and believed to have been low on fuel the damage is severe. An explanation might be that the plane was loaded with explosives.

Well, we'll see.

Thanx Fan!
Not that Italy is SO small, but I really appreciate!

We've been VERY worried here.
Maybe you cannot realize the LEVEL of the coincidence:
The Pirelli building is actually the ONLY thing close to a skyscraper
in the WHOLE italian territory.
And it was indicated as the ONLY possible target for a terroristic
attack similar to the infamous one...
How many OTHER buildings could have been the victims of an accident???
50.000.000 maybe????

No one doubted in the beginning, but now it really seems an accident....
Still the coincidence is REALLY unbelievable...

At the moment, only the mourning for the dead ones remains
(as always...)
There are people in the elevators, fortunately they'll be out soon
(they say)

Add that planes normally are not allowed to fly in that area...

Originally posted by Baldursgate Fan
I just read the news on Quicken that the Dow Jones and Nasdaq had fallen on the Milan plane accident.

Thankfully, it wasn't a(nother) terrorist attack, otherwise there will be hell to pay in the world stock markets tomorrow.

Well the stock market was falling anyway - so this planecrash hadn't much to do with it.
If it had been a terrorist attack, it could have gotten dire consequences for the stock market yes.

Originally posted by Sailor Saturn
I agree with Littiz. There does seem to be too much coincidence for it to be an accident.

However, I also hope that it was just an accident.

Amen to that. Let's hope and pray that there will be no more senseless mass killings that have been thrust on us recently.

Cheers.

PS Italy is one of my favourites in the world cup.

Apparently the pilot first tried to land at the city airport, but was told that there were no runways open. The Italian government has sent officials to find out why that message was conveyed to a pilot in distress, especially since runways *were* available.

Oh goodie, conspiracy theories!

Let us also hope that it was just an accident so mega powers don't feel a need to track down the planners.... again.

Originally posted by Obsidian
Oh goodie, conspiracy theories!

Let us also hope that it was just an accident so mega powers don't feel a need to track down the planners.... again.

No, no conspiracy theories are in the offing. They just suspect incompetence, apparently.

Originally posted by fable


No, no conspiracy theories are in the offing. They just suspect incompetence, apparently.

"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by
incompetence"
Richard Loft

"Never attribute to incompetence what can be explained by
random circumstances"
Fu Man Tzu

His family claims he INTENDED to kill himself.
HIS family, so this has to be believed.

Now, I HATE these things.
Why don't you just jump from a bridge???
I pity him for any problems he could have had, but this way
he killed TWO women in their EARLY forties!

If this is true, I damn his memory!
The world has gone mad.........