(NewsReady.com) – Bounce houses are incredibly popular for events such as children’s parties. Generally, they’re safe and kids have a good time. That wasn’t the case at a recent event in Australia.
On December 16, sixth-graders at the Hillcrest Primary school in the small city of Devonport, on the island of Tasmania, were celebrating the last day of school with games, dancing, and a bouncy castle. Around 10 a.m., a group of children was in the castle when a gust of wind lifted it up. According to the police, 9 kids plummeted 30 feet to the ground.
In the early evening, law enforcement delivered terrible news: five children were dead.
Five children have been killed and more are fighting for life after a bouncy castle accident in #Tasmania. @rachbaxter9 #9News pic.twitter.com/T4IpAOjAVn
— 9News Perth (@9NewsPerth) December 16, 2021
Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine called the accident one of the “most serious tragedies” many on the island will ever experience. He said that in addition to the deceased, the other kids were in critical condition. There’s an ongoing investigation into the incident.
The Australian accident isn’t the first time a bounce house has gone airborne and hurt children. In 2016, 7-year-old Summer Grant of Essex, England, died when the bouncy castle she was playing in blew away. In 2019, Lizzy Hammond, 9, lost her life after the bounce house she was playing in blew into power lines in Nevada.
Although accidents are rare, adults should check the weather before using them. Our thoughts are with the families in Australia.
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