Four children were killed and five others injured when they fell to the ground from a bouncy castle that was blown into the air by a gust of wind outside an Australian school Thursday.
The unimaginable tragedy took place during a celebration marking the last week of classes before Christmas break at Hillcrest primary school in northern Tasmania, police said.
The children in the bouncy castle were tossed from a height of about 33 feet on a sunny, early summer day that was forecast by local weather services to have “light winds.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the incident “shattering” and “unthinkably heartbreaking.”
“Young children on a fun day out, together with their families and it turns to such a horrific tragedy, at this time of year, it just breaks your heart,” he said.
The victims were all in sixth grade and included two boys and two girls.
Of the surviving children, four are in critical condition and the other is in serious condition, according to Tasmanian police commissioner Darren Hine.
Some parents witnessed the horrific scene as they were volunteering at the event.
The school closed for the day after the incident.
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