Chinese space rocket crashes into hillside after accidental launch

A space rocket operated by a Chinese private company crashed and exploded into flames near a city on Sunday. It soared straight up into the air before losing power and falling back to earth, hitting nearby forested hills.

The first stage of the Tianlong-3 rocket left its launchpad due to a structural failure, said the company Beijing Tianbing, also known as Space Pioneer, in a statement on its official WeChat account