Several people were injured, including a 7-year-old boy, after drones at a Christmas show in the United States’ Florida collided mid-air and fell at high speed at the crowd below. Mothers of the young boy, who was reportedly struck in the face by a rogue drone, said he was clinging to life.
The boy was transported to the hospital and was “fighting for his life in the ER,” according to a report by the New York Post.
The video of the holiday display going wrong was posted online by X user MosquitoCoFl, which shows hundreds of drones flying in a pattern as part of the aerial light show before several started colliding and falling from the sky to the ground.
So apparently they had to cancel the 2nd drone show at #LakeEolaPark tonight and I wonder if the drones that got knocked out during the 1st show was the cause ? #Orlando pic.twitter.com/xxySjbkohy
— MosquitoCoFL Podcast (@MosquitoCoFL) December 22, 2024
In the background, a man can be heard saying, “Oh no! I don’t believe they’re supposed to be falling.” In the lake below, geese could be seen flapping their wings while trying to get out of the way of the chaotic scene.
The show was run by Sky Elements Drones in partnership with the City of Orlando. Andrea Otero, the city’s public information manager, told People magazine, “We are in contact with the vendor to determine what occurred with the operation. FAA is handling the investigation.”
According to a report by Fox News, the holiday drone show was permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over [Eola] Lake in Orlando, Florida,” the FAA said, according to the Fox News report.
Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulations and typically require a waiver of a regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time.
The incident reportedly occurred around 6:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, December 21, following which a second show scheduled that night at 8 p.m. was also cancelled due to “technical difficulties.”
