Almost 90 drones fell from the sky over Darling Harbour in Sydney during a popular winter light show, with footage showing the devices plunging into the water near the audience. The organizers of Vivid Sydney, an annual three-week festival featuring large light installations, stated that the failure on Monday night, local time, was due to “unforeseen technical difficulties” and have canceled several upcoming shows.
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Footage from Monday’s show captured dozens of drones falling from the night sky, leaving spectators puzzled by the aerial display. Skymagic, the British company responsible for the show, attributed the failure to a change in radio frequency and assured that none of the drones fell outside the safety boundaries, according to the BBC.
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“The sound of them crashing against the pier was considerable even from about 10, 15, or 20 meters away; you could physically hear them hitting and breaking against the marina’s concrete,” said a Darling Harbour worker named Robert to the public broadcaster ABC. A Skymagic spokesperson explained: “During the performance on the night of May 25, Skymagic experienced a technical issue that caused 89 drones to land in the water around Cockle Bay,” referring to the Darling Harbour dock area.
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The festival organizers added that Skymagic and government agencies will conduct a full assessment before deciding on the remaining schedule of performances. The show, called “Star-Bound,” features up to 1,000 drones specifically designed for an aerial display lasting up to 12 minutes.
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