Footage shows a spectacular crash as firework drones plummet to Earth.

Drone artist Cai Guoqiang staged the show as part of a cultural exhibition celebrating the history of Quanzhou in southern China on December 8.

Baffling video footage from the event shows the drones initially flying in perfect formation, swooping through the sky at the start of the performance.

But within moments, one drone drops out of the formation uncontrollably, quickly followed by the rest of the swarm. Their firework charges explode randomly.

A different angle shows drone after drone plunging into the waters of the Taiwan Strait, bringing the show to a spectacular yet unscheduled end.

Cai has not explained why the drones fell, but organisers believe that a rogue transmission may have blocked the GPS signal being sent to the tiny aircraft.

One official told local media: 'There is no clear conclusion on the cause of the accident.'

Spectator Ms Lin said: 'It was very windy at the performance that day, but the drone suddenly fell like raindrops, which should not be due to weather factors.'

Cai later appealed to onlookers not to take any of the crashed drones home as souvenirs.

Hinting at sabotage, he said: 'The drones encountered countermeasures and had problems.'

Police and firefighters are investigating the mass crash.

Cai later apologised to fans and said: 'This is not a movie, and there is no way to do it again.

'When people look at the works of artists, it is like looking at the bright side of the moon, but the moon also has a dark side.

'It is the combination of the dark side and the light side that makes people see the shape of the moon.'