Two children in hospital after jumping castle lifts off ground at party

Two children were hospitalized after a jumping castle was lifted off the ground during high winds at a birthday party in Mount Duneed, Victoria. The incident occurred around 11am on a Monday at a residential property on Lower Duneed Road, near Geelong. Victoria Police reported that the children, aged between six and seven, were thrown from the castle and transported to Geelong University Hospital with upper body injuries.

They are currently in stable condition. Ambulance Victoria dispatched a mobile intensive care ambulance and advanced life support paramedics to the scene. The majority of the other children present on the jumping castle remained unhurt. This event echoes a similar tragedy in December 2021, where six children died and three were seriously injured when a jumping castle was unexpectedly lifted by strong winds at a primary school in Devonport, Tasmania. A coronial inquest into that incident is scheduled to commence later in the month.