A drone lighting display in Florida went seriously wrong this weekend when several drones collided and fell from the sky, injuring a child.

Thousands of people were watching the display show at Lake Eola Park on Saturday night at the time.

Videos of the event showed hundreds of drones flying into position when several started falling to the ground.

One of the falling drones hit a seven-year-old boy on his chest and cut his mouth. He required heart surgery as a result, local news reported.

The display was put on by a Texas-based company called Sky Elements Drone Shows, which said it is is cooperating with the US Federal Aviation Administration to investigate what caused the incident.

Drone displays involve the use of hundreds, sometimes thousands of drones equipped with LED lights and synchronised to fly into pre-established positions to create drone art.  

Locally, drone displays have been put on at the Grand Harbour as part of the Malta Fireworks Festival. 

Unlike firework displays, drones are reusable and cause no air pollution and are less shocking to animals or people sensitive to loud noises. However, they can pose a danger if they do not work as intended: in a July 2023 incident, hundreds of drones ended up in a river in central Melbourne as a result of a technical malfunction. 

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