Happy New Year 2015: Sydney fireworks pay tribute to siege victims

Tributes were paid to Sydney siege victims Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson at the famous fireworks display by Sydney Harbour as the world ushered in the New Year.

The two hostages killed in the Martin Place siege were given floral tributes that appeared on the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

"It is in memory of the two young and talented people that we lost because of that siege," said Clover Moore, Sydney's lord mayor, according to The Guardian.

"We remember the trauma the hostages experienced, the bravery of the police and we remember the way Sydney responded as we expected – an inclusive, welcoming, multicultural community."

The rest of the firework displays celebrated the New Year. An estimated 1.6 million people lined the harbour foreshore to view the displays, which are one of the most spectacular events in the world.

The Sydney fireworks 2014 displays featured seven tonnes of fireworks, including 11,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets and more than 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects.

In addition, fifty illuminated boats carrying over 8,000 people on a passage around Sydney Harbour added to the show's magnificence.

This year's firework displays were also captured by two drones and broadcast live for the first time in the world.

The drones flew up to 1,000 feet above the Sydney Harbour, recording high-resolution footage of the fireworks as they launched from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and barges on the water.

Another specially-built drone equipped with six cameras captured 360-degree views of the fireworks. Watch a video of the fireworks here.