Onlookers run for cover as drones nosedive into Sydney Harbour after mass glitch

Onlooks were forced to run for cover as drones nosedived into Sydney's Darling Harbour after a mass glitch.

Some 89 drones crashed down into the water after a malfunction which sent workers and tourists fleeing.

British company Skymagic, who organised the light show, said a change in radio frequency was to blame for the malfunction.

The drone formation was preforming at Vivid Sydney, a winter festival.

Authorities said it was not an intentional malicious attempt to jam the drones.

One witness, who gave his name as Robert, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he had seen drones "crashing" into the maria.

He said: "Everything seemed normal, and then very shortly after that first image was displayed, on the southern side of Cockle Bay, you started seeing drones dropping in the water, and then from there it was a cascading failure of the drones.

"The sound of them crashing on the wharf was considerable. You could hear them crash and smash on to the cement marina. They’re not meant to fly over anyone or even close to anyone, and [they] fell within metres of people I was with."

He said the glitched drones were a "catastrophic failure" and a "big concern".

Now, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has launched a probe into the cause of the failure.

Of SkyMagic's 1,000 drones, 83 lost connection and crashed into the harbour.

Six more drones landed on various boardwalks and a bridge, though SkyMagic's head of operations Dyfan Rhys said no drones escaped the exclusion zone.

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Mr Rhys said: "It's really important to hammer home that there were no safety concerns at that show."

Authorities are also attempting to retrieve the drones amid concerns their lithium-ion batteries could pollute water.

Further displays planned for Tuesday and Wednesday evening were cancelled, but it remains unclear if the Sunday show could continue.

Monday's malfunction may have cost between $1,500 (£750) and $2,400 (£1,200) per drone according to Nigel Browne, the CEO of company Drone Sky Shows.

He added that drones which fell in the water would not be fixable and would never fly again.

Vivid Sydney insisted no drones fell outside the safety perimeters and said the cause was "an unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment occurring after take-off".

A spokesman said: "During the performance on the evening of 25 May, Skymagic experienced a technical issue that resulted in 89 drones landing in the water around Cockle Bay [the wharf area in Darling Harbour]."

The show had been cancelled in accordance with "standard safety protocols", a spokesman for the festival said, adding: "Public safety is always the number one priority and a full assessment is now under way, with the specialist operators and relevant government agencies advising on next steps."