A Cirrus SR20 plane is seen in this undated image made available by Cirrus Designs.A SR20 crashed into a high-rise building on Manhattan's Upper East Side on Wednesday.

A small aircraft crashed into a high-rise building in New York City on Wednesday (Oct 11th), killing at least two people, U.S. authorities and media reported.

Flames could be seen shooting from windows on two upper floors of the 50-story tower on the East 72nd Street near the East River. Burning debris fell on the streets below as firefighters shot water streams at the flames from lower floors.

Authorities confirmed a small airplane had struck the 20th floor of the building. "It's a small general aviation aircraft," Les Dorr, spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was quoted by some local media as saying.

"We don't know how many people were on board," the spokesperson said.

But some media reported that at least two people were killed in the crash, without mentioning if they were on board or on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said there was no indication that the crash was related to terrorism.

Two emergency helicopters flew overhead as a crowd watched from the streets below. Police closed off traffic to a six-block area around the site while firefighters tried to extinguish the fire.

Television images of the burning building evoked memories of the devastating attacks of Sept.11, 2001 on New York and Washington when hijacked airliners were flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

FAA officials said it was too early to determine what type of aircraft was involved, or what might have caused the crash in the middle of a hazy October afternoon.

[White House] White House says New York City plane crash likely accidental

The White House said on Wednesday (Oct 11th) that all indications showed the crash of a small plane into a New York City building was an accident.

Spokesman Tony Snow said there was no confirmed cause of the crash and "all indications are that it was accidental." >>>Details

[New York Mayor] NY mayor confirms 2 deaths in plane crash

Flames and smoke are seen coming out of windows at the location where a small plane crashed into a 50-story residential apartment building on Manhattan's Upper East Side on Wednesday. (Xinhua Photo)

Two people were killed when a small plane slammed into a high-rise apartment building in New York on Wednesday (Oct 11th), Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg told reporters that two pilots on board were killed, adding one of the them was a student pilot. Details>>>

[U.S. media] Yankees pitcher Lidle killed in plane crash

New York Yankees baseball pitcher Cory Lidle was the only person on board the plane that crashed into a high-rise building in New York City on Wednesday and died in the accident, U.S. media reported.

Aviation authorities found the crashed planed was registered to Lidle and later Lidle's passport was found among the wreckages on the scene.

Editor: Donald