Milan crash: 'Windows were blown out'

A small tourist plane has hit a skyscraper in central Milan setting the top floors of the 30-storey building on fire.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion from the Pirelli building, which also houses the administrative headquarters of the local Lombardy region and sits next to the city's central train station.

"I heard a strange bang so I went to the windows 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.

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

It is one of the symbols of Italy's financial capital and is 127 metres-high.

"A Piper plane has crashed into the building," a police official said.

It is not yet known if the incident was an accident or a terrorist attack.

There are some reports that the plane had technical difficulties before it crashed.