Bounce House Tragedy: 5 Children Fall To Their Deaths From 30 Feet In The Air

An unspeakable tragedy unfolded in Australia today after five schoolchildren were killed while playing inside an inflatable bounce house that was launched 30 feet in the air by a gust of wind.

According to reports, primary school kids were enjoying their last day of the school year, in the small city of Devonport, Tasmania. During the celebration, the city provided dancing, games, and out on their big grass field -- a bouncy castle with giant inflatable Zorb balls.

Shockingly, around 10 am a tragedy stuck due to a freak accident with the inflatable bounce house. While children jumped around inside the castle, a police officer confirmed a "significant" gust of wind sent the bounce house and Zorb balls flying into the air. In all, nine students were launched 30 feet in the air and plunged to the ground after it stopped. Obviously, there was little the adults could do to stop it from occurring or bring them down safely.

The local police department confirmed by this evening, five six-graders at the school were dead.

As you can imagine, paramedics -- along with a medivac helicopter -- rushed to the scene to treat the children, and several were rushed to a local hospital. Tasmania's police commissioner described the brutal event as "one of the most serious tragedies any of us are going to experience."

He continued, "On a day when these children were meant to be celebrating the last day of primary school, instead we’re all mourning their loss." According to the police, several other children were critically injured and others are in serious condition. Interestingly, the police are not confirming how many students were actually inside the bounce house when it launched from the ground, and aren't revealing if it was tied onto the ground before the tragedy.

The Tasmanian town has a population of 25,000 and this is one of its only six primary schools in town. The "big day-in" event was scheduled to run for most of the day and featured arts and crafters, a "wet zone" with a slip n slide, and the bouncy castle. 

By this afternoon, a GoFundMe was set up to support the families who lost children in the tragic accident, and over $30,000 has been raised in the past few hours.

Prime Minister of the country, Scott Morrison, broke his silence on the tragic events -- calling it "shattering" and "unthinkable heartbreaking."

This isn't the first time something like this has happened, and social media is filled with viral videos of near misses inside bounce houses. In 2019, two children were killed in a similar accident, along with 20 others being injured. At the time, a "dust devil" swept a bouncy castle high in the air in the Henan Province of China, and killed the two kids.

As for the school organizers, it's unclear if they will face criminal charges for not securing the bounce house to the ground. In 2016, two fairground workers were sentenced to three years in jail, after they were convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence -- after a bouncy castle blew up in the air and crashed down, killing a 7-year-old in Essex, England.

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