WATCH: New Year’s Fireworks Barge Explodes During Display In Australia

1 January 2018, 09:52 | Updated: 1 January 2018, 10:46

An incredible fireworks display in Australia turned into disaster on New Year’s Eve when a barge exploded part-way through.

The scary scenes are believed to have been caused by a malfunction, which left fireworks being set off at random, some towards the beach in Terrigal.

Two pyrotechnicians, who jumped off the boat to get ashore were injured, and treated by paramedics for minor injuries.

Emilie Shapiro, who caught the event on camera, tweeted: “Barge caught on fire at terrigal beach and big explosion occurred”.

Another bystander told the Sydney Morning 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”.

Emergency services were called to the scene and the crowds, estimated at about 5-6,000 people, were removed from the beach as a precaution, police said.

Organisers, It’s Time for Terrigal, said what was meant to have been a 12-minute display was "pushed into 4 and a half” after a canister 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,” they wrote on Facebook.

Watch the moment in the video at the top of this page.