China successfully launched satellites to space last week but a shower of rocket debris after the launch crushed buildings in the Sichuan province, captured in a video shared widely on social media.

Before the government launched a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Friday evening, it warned residents with a notice that read "If you see any flying objects falling from the sky, please adjust your location quickly to avoid any harm."

China conducts many of its orbital launches from Xichang each year. Additionally, the majority of those rockets are the Long March 3B variation, which is comparable in size and power to U.S. rockets such as the SpaceX Falcon 9 or United Launch Alliance Atlas V.

But unlike U.S. launch pads, which are typically located along coastlines, Xichang is deep inland, which means the rocket flies directly over villages in rural China. As these rockets climb, they shed the "boosters" that make up the lower portion of the rocket. While U.S. rocket boosters typically fall back to the ocean, the Chinese rockets launched from Xichang fall over land, threatening local communities.

Social media in China has been awash with photos and videos of fallen rocket pieces after previous launches from Xichang, with multiple reported incidents in the past two years. Last year a booster was even caught on video, falling and exploding near a village after a launch. Officials intend for debris to fall in marked areas of the forest near the launchpad. But there are at least 14 villages in the path of potential debris from Xichang launches, according to a recent evacuation notice obtained by CNBC.