It was supposed to be a happy school festival at the end of the year – and it ended in disaster. Now another child has succumbed to his serious injuries.
Devonport – A few days after the bouncy castle accident on the Australian island of Tasmania, a sixth child died of his injuries. This was confirmed by Police Commissioner Darren Hine in Devonport in the north of the island.
In the village, the inflatable bouncy castle was torn into the air by a strong wind on Thursday at a school festival in a primary school.
According to eyewitnesses, several children fell from a height of up to ten meters. Two children are still in critical condition in a hospital in the Tasmanian capital, Hobart, Hine said. A third is recovering at home.
Hillcrest School had held their Christmas party and celebrated the end of the year with activities like bouncy castle hopping. The investigation into how the accident came about would take some time, said Hine.
“Given the scale of this critical incident and the need to speak to large numbers of traumatized children in a short period of time, we accepted an offer from the New South Wales Police Department to assist with the interrogation-related investigation “, he added.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said an additional $ 800,000 would be made available to fund trauma counseling for those affected. Of this, about $ 250,000 for first aiders and $ 550,000 for the general public, as the Australian news agency AAP reported. In addition, more than $ 1 million in donations were received to support those who grieved. dpa
