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A seven-year-old boy was seriously injured at a holiday drone show when one of the devices fell out of the sky and struck him in the chest, his mother says.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said “several” small drones collided during the event in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, with some falling into the crowd.

No other injuries were reported.

Adriana Edgerton told an affiliate of Sky News’ sister outlet NBC News that her son, Alexander, underwent heart surgery as a result of his injury.

“Everyone’s natural instinct was to duck and scatter, and before we realised it, my daughter found my son on the floor unconscious,” she said. “He had blood coming out of his face.”

She said that injuries like this should not happen at public events: “We were trying to watch a show and have a good time.”

Promoting the event in advance, Orlando city said: “This show will feature a dazzling display of synchronised drones flying in formation to create beautiful holiday-themed designs in the night sky.

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“Attendees will be able to sit back and watch the 15-minute light show from the comfort of their own blankets and lawn chairs.”

Drone shows have grown in popularity in recent years as an alternative to firework displays.

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The Orlando Fire Department named Sky Elements Drones, of Coppell, Texas, as the producer of the show.

“We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired,” the company said.

“The wellbeing of our audience is our utmost priority,” it said, “and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused.”

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Man who died after being pulled into MRI machine was wearing 9kg weight-training chain, wife reveals

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Man who died after being pulled into MRI machine was wearing 9kg weight-training chain, wife reveals

A man who died after being pulled into an MRI machine in New York was wearing a large weight-training chain around his neck, his wife has said.

Keith McAllister, 61, entered a room at the Nassau Open MRI clinic while a scan of his wife’s knee was under way.

The machine’s strong magnetic force drew him in by the 9kg metal chain around his neck, according to Nassau County Police.

His wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, said she had called out to her husband to help her off the table.

“I yelled out Keith’s name, [shouting] Keith, come help me up,” she said in an interview with News 12 Long Island.

She said her husband entered the room wearing the chain, which he uses for weight training.

“I saw the machine snatch him around and pull him into the machine,” Ms Jones-McAllister said as tears streamed down her face. “He died, he lost, he went limp in my arms.”

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Police said that the accident last Wednesday “resulted in a medical episode” and left Mr McAllister in a critical condition in hospital.

Ms Jones-McAllister said her husband had suffered a series of heart attacks after he was freed from the MRI machine. He was later pronounced dead.

A file picture of an MRI scanner
Image:
A file picture of an MRI scanner

MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The machines use strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the inside of the body.

Due to the magnetic fields, “very powerful forces” are exerted on objects made of iron, some steels, and other magnetic materials, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering says.

It says the forces are “strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room”.

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Sky News’ US partner network NBC New York reported that MRI accidents are rare but can be fatal.

It is not the first time someone has been killed by an MRI machine in New York.

In 2001, six-year-old Michael Colombini died at the Westchester Medical Centre when an oxygen tank flew into the chamber, drawn in by the MRI’s 10-ton electromagnet.

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Alaska Airlines grounds all flights after IT outage

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Alaska Airlines grounds all flights after IT outage

Alaska Airlines has grounded its planes following an IT outage.

The carrier said it experienced the outage impacting its operations at around 8pm Pacific time on Sunday (4am Monday UK time).

It did not specify the nature of the outage.

“We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights until the issue is resolved,” the Seattle-based airline said in a statement.

Horizon Air is the regional subsidiary operating Alaska Airlines flights.

Alaska Airlines apologised for the ground stop of its flights and warned of “residual impacts to our operation throughout the evening”.

“Please check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport,” it added.

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Alaska Air Group maintains an operational fleet of 238 Boeing 737 aircraft and 87 Embraer 175 aircraft, according to its website.

In June, Hawaiian Airlines, which is also owned by Alaska Air Group, said some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack.

The firm said it was still trying to determine the financial impact of the incident.

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Several critically injured after vehicle ‘driven into crowd’ in Los Angeles

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Several critically injured after vehicle 'driven into crowd' in Los Angeles

Three people are in critical condition after a vehicle drove into a crowd in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) public information officer Captain Adam Van Gerpen told Sky’s US partner NBC News the vehicle hit a taco cart before colliding with a large number of people outside a nightclub.

“Apparently there was a vehicle that had somebody who lost consciousness,” he said. “We have reports that there was a gunshot wound in one of the patients.”

Pictures from the scene in Santa Monica Boulevard, in East Hollywood, show a damaged grey vehicle which has mounted the pavement with debris strewn across the ground.

Sergeant Travis Ward, central traffic division watch commander at the Los Angeles Police Department, said it was too early to say if the incident was intentional and that an investigation was ongoing.

The LAFD said three people are in critical condition, six in serious condition and 19 in fair condition.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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