Australia bouncy castle incident: Five children die after falling from bouncy castle that was blown into air in Tasmania

Five children have died and another four are in hospital after falling from a bouncy castle which was blown into the air at a primary school in Tasmania, Australia.

The accident happened on Thursday at the Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, Tasmania, after a bouncy castle flew more than 30ft into the air following a strong gust of wind.

Five children have now died, and three are in critical condition.

The primary was marking the final day of the school year with a ‘funday’ for the children when the accident happened.

Police in Tasmania have described the scene as “distressing” and eyewitnesses have said it was chaos, with parents running to the school to find out what happened and if their children were safe.

The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described the situation as “unthinkable heartbreaking”, particularly at this time of year.

It is understood that an investigation is underway to understand exactly what caused the incident.

Australia bouncy castle incident: Five children die after falling from bouncy castle that was blown into air in Tasmania. (Grant Wells/AAP Image via AP)

Covid Scotland: Edinburgh's Hogmanay revellers must provide proof of negative Covid test after city's events get green light

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.