FOXNews.com MILAN, Italy A small plane crashed into the tallest building in downtown Milan Thursday evening, causing smoke to pour out of the top floors of the skyscraper. Three people were reported to have been killed, and rescue workers said dozens of people had been taken to a nearby hospital. Officials said the crash appeared to have been an accident and that only the pilot was aboard. The weather was clear at the time of the crash. Police officer Celerissimo De Simone said the pilot of the Piper aircraft had sent out a distress call at 5:50 p.m. just before the crash near Milan's main train station. RAI state TV reported that the pilot said the SOS was because of engine trouble. The plane had taken off from Locarno, Switzerland, and was heading to Milan's Linate airport, De Simone said. Earlier, in Rome, the senate's president, Marcello Pera, said it "very probably" appeared to be a terrorist attack. But Pera's spokesman later said he had spoken with the Interior Minister and the crash didn't appear to be any kind of an attack. There were holes on both sides of the slim skyscraper. "It sounded like a bomb. The pavement shook like an earthquake," said a woman identifying herself only as Lucia. "It was shocking," said Luccheta Antonio, 52, a barber down the block. "The windows shook and the mirrors." "It was a violent explosion," said Stefano Bottazzi, 35, who works in a skyscraper 500 yards from building. "The clock fell to the floor." On the streets, rescue workers in orange uniforms helped the injured including a man with a bloody shirt holding his head. Ambulances streamed into the area and pedestrians peered upward. The crash put a hole in the 25th floor of the Pirelli building. Police cordoned off the area as people gawked at the skyscraper. At 30 stories high, the Pirelli skyscraper, located near the central train station, is Italy's first skyscraper and one of the world's tallest concrete buildings. It was built in 1958 and designed by architects Gio Ponti and Pier Luigi Nervi. The building is one of the main symbols of Milan, along with the city's cathedral. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and White House chief of staff Andrew Card had informed Bush of the crash. "The president just moments ago was informed about the incident in Milan," he said at his afternoon press briefing. "I have no additional information at all for you at this time. This is a breaking story and we don't have anything else beyond that the president has been informed. "I think you can presume that we will be if we are not already in touch with Italian authorities and will ascertain precisely what the facts are," Fleischer said. In Washington, the FBI was trying to learn more about the incident. One official said bureau personnel were assisting their Italian counterparts in the investigation. It was the second time since the Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington that a plane has struck a high-rise building. On Jan. 5, a 15-year-old boy crashed a stolen plane into a building in Tampa, Fla. He was the only casualty. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Privacy Statement. For FoxNews.com comments write to foxnewsonline foxnews.com comments foxnews.com http://www.foxsports.com/ Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Fox News Network, LLC 2002. All rights reserved. All market data delayed 20 minutes. Outside the U.S.? U.S. Regional Maps / Forecasts U.S.