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Five children have died and several others are reported to be in a critical condition in hospital after wind reportedly picked up a jumping castle and carried it into the air at an end-of-year activity day at a primary school in Tasmania.
The incident at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, in the state's north-west, occurred this morning.
It reportedly saw the jumping castle, which may not have been securely tethered, lifted about 10 metres with several children then falling from the inflatable suffering serious injuries.
In a statement, Tasmanian Police advised “a wind event caused a jumping castle to lift into the air
"Several children fell from a height of about 10 metres around 10am and are currently receiving medical treatment at the scene as well as in hospitals.”
Speaking at the school this afternoon, Commander Debbie Williams described the scene as "distressing", telling the ABC “tragically I can confirm that there are two deceased children after an incident today at Hillcrest Primary School
"This is a very tragic event and our thoughts are with the families and the wider school community, and also our first responders.
"There is no doubt that this has been a very confronting and distressing scene.
"Counselling is being made available to the families affected by this in the school community along with the first responders."
Police said no further details about the deaths or injuries could be released at this stage for privacy reasons, but they would hold a press conference in Devonport late this afternoon.
As well as multiple ambulances sent to the school, several helicopters also went to the scene to take the injured to various hospitals.
Witnesses said it was a very confronting scene with police and parents rushing towards the school.
The school has been closed and people are being asked to avoid the area.
The school was running an end-of-year ‘Big Day In’ celebration instead of a usual school picnic.
In a statement, the Australian Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) advised "our hearts are broken at the news that two children have passed away and there are other children badly injured.
"Our prayers and thoughts are with all their family, friends and school community.
"We do not have all the details as the incident is still unfolding, however, we can confirm the operator is not an AALARA Member. AALARA Members are skilled, professional, experienced and in some cases, multi-generational operators of this type of equipment."
Article amended; 5.10PM 16th December 2021. The original title read 'Two children dead after inflatable jumping castle blown into air at Tasmanian school'. Sadly this number has risen since the article was first posted.
Image: Hillcrest Primary School. Credit: Hillcrest Primary School/Facebook.
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