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Thousands flee Australian beach after barge carrying New Year fireworks catches fire | Thousands flee Australian beach after barge carrying New Year fireworks catches fire |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Thousands of partygoers celebrating the New Year were evacuated from an Australian beach after a barge carrying fireworks exploded. | |
Things started to go wrong five minutes into the firework display at Terrigal, a suburb of Sydney, when the boat was around 150m from the shore. | Things started to go wrong five minutes into the firework display at Terrigal, a suburb of Sydney, when the boat was around 150m from the shore. |
A crowd that had gathered to watch the display scattered as ambulances rushed towards the scene. | A crowd that had gathered to watch the display scattered as ambulances rushed towards the scene. |
Two technicians on the barge were reportedly forced to dive into the water as the boat burst into flames. | Two technicians on the barge were reportedly forced to dive into the water as the boat burst into flames. |
The men were rescued by passing boats and treated for minor injuries. A spokesman for New South Wales Fire and Rescue confirmed they were safe. | The men were rescued by passing boats and treated for minor injuries. A spokesman for New South Wales Fire and Rescue confirmed they were safe. |
“The fireworks were going off as you’d expect and then suddenly there was a hell of an explosion. Next thing the barge was on fire,” local resident Kevin Andrews told The Newcastle Herald. | “The fireworks were going off as you’d expect and then suddenly there was a hell of an explosion. Next thing the barge was on fire,” local resident Kevin Andrews told The Newcastle Herald. |
Around 6,000 people were evacuated from the beach because of concerns about the stability of the remains of the barge. | Around 6,000 people were evacuated from the beach because of concerns about the stability of the remains of the barge. |
The event’s organisers, It’s Time for Terrigal, said in a Facebook post the operators believed a canister had exploded, setting off “multiple detonations”. | |
“It became apparent this wasn’t a directed event, as there [were] random fireworks going off, at this time it was deemed unsafe and we evacuated the area,” the organisers said. | |
They claimed the event “went pretty well”, despite the explosion. | |
The Terrigal fireworks display occurred following a community fundraising campaign to return New Year’s Eve fireworks to the beach resort town, after several years without displays. | The Terrigal fireworks display occurred following a community fundraising campaign to return New Year’s Eve fireworks to the beach resort town, after several years without displays. |
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