Several small drones collided and then fell into a crowd during a drone show in Florida on Saturday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
One person was injured during the show at Lake Eola Park in Orlando, according to the mayor’s office. Authorities have not identified the person or said whether their injury was related to the drone crash.
Orlando Police Department detectives met with the victim’s family at the hospital, officials said. Local police will assist the FAA in investigating the collision.
Saturday’s collision happened around 6:45 p.m. local time, authorities said. A second light show, scheduled for 8 p.m., was canceled due to what the city of Orlando described as “technical difficulties“.
Drone networks and light shows are subject to FAA regulation, with the FAA “thoroughly” reviewing each drone show application to ensure the safety of people in the sky and on the ground, according to the agency.
The FAA is reviewing a number of areas, including the software controlling drones, procedures for setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the drone show, procedures in the event of a failure of a or drones and the procedures if a plane gets too close. at the show.
About 25,000 people came to watch the drones, according to Orlando authorities. This was the third year for the holiday drone show, and it was operated by Sky Elements, Orlando authorities said.
Sky Elements Drones, in a statement obtained by the CBS News affiliate WKMGsaid it was working with the FAA and Orlando city officials to “determine the cause and is committed to establishing a clear picture of what happened.”
“Sky Elements Drones would like to express our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those affected at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, December 21. The well-being of our audience is our top priority and we regret any distress. or inconvenience caused,” Sky Elements Drones said. “We are working diligently with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what happened. Millions of people see our shows each year and we committed to maintaining the highest safety standards established by the FAA.”
Florida drone incident follows ongoing incident mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey and other areas of the eastern United States
