Horror as five children die in freak bouncy castle accident in Australia

Four others remain seriously injured in hospital

Stock bouncy castle image
Author: Rory GannonPublished 16th Dec 2021

Five children have been killed, while another five are fighting for their lives after a bouncy castle flew into the air in Australia.

The inflatable bouncy castle flew over thirty feet into the air after being swept up in a gust of wind at the Hillcrest Primary School.

Schoolchildren had been playing on the castle to celebrate the breakup for the summer holidays on the Australian island of Tasmania.

Some of the children who were killed in the freak accident were in year 6 of the Australian school system, making them as young as ten years old.

Emergency services were called to the scene, with paramedics providing first aid to those injured. Police officers were also seen to be consoling those in distress.

Many of the parents only discovered the incident had taken place when they had come to collect their children.

Tasmania's police commissioner Darren Hine said an investigation into how the bouncy castle was so easily thrown into the air is underway.

Speaking about the events, Tasmania's state police commander Debbie Williams said: "Several children fell from the jumping castle. It appears they may have fallen from a height of approximately 10 metres."

"This is a very tragic event and our thoughts are with the families and the wider school community and also our first responders".

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.