An unmanned aircraft has caused an electricity blackout in southwest Sichuan...after it crashed into power lines. The incident has again sparked a debate over drone regulation. But, its hoped a new regulatory system could help reduce accidents.

Having gone from military weapon to mass market toys, drones now enjoy immense popularity, and have become top holiday gifts for many. Stunning images like these can now be captured by drones available to anyone for just a few thousand yuan.

However, they are not always playing such pleasing roles.

The drone was flying at a height of 100 meters when it suddenly crashed into power lines, burning and exploding. The incident caused a large scale electricity blackout in Deyang, southwest China, which took more than six hours to resolve.

"A 10 kilovolt circuit was tripped, and caused a blackout in many areas, leading to a direct economic loss of 45,000 yuan," Yang Bin, vice president of SGCC, De Yang Branch Offcice, said.

And they even pose hazards to conventional aircraft.

At the end of last year, a short video went viral on China's social media sites, showing a remote sensing drone nearly crashing into a descending military jet, while both of them were flying hundreds meters above the city.

According to experts, drones, particularly when flying at high speed, can cause immeasurable damage.

With such incidents now a relatively frequent occurrence, the government has introduced tougher laws and regulations to keep up.

"In some of the cities, there are not many limits on drones weighing less than seven kgs. But for some densely-inhabited cites, we impose much restrictions," Ke Yubao, executive sec. of China Aircraft Owner Society, said.

The regulations cover a wide range of issues, such as the applications of the drones, and penalty clauses. Another highlight of the new rules is the newly-developed drone monitoring system.

"We can monitor and control the drones through the cloud system. With the help of applications on the cloud, we can track the drones and set alarm operation systems in the restricted areas," Ke said.

Ke said this regulation system means that China remains at the forefront of the drone world. And with continuous improvements, hopefully, the system will help put an end to all the damage caused by the craft.

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