A 3-year-old girl died, and three other children and six adults were injured, after an inflatable bouncy castle was kicked up into the air by the wind in Montreal.
The bouncy castle was set up at a church event in the Montreal borough of LaSalle on Sunday.
The wind speed in the area was as fast as 31 mph, and at about 4:30 p.m., the inflatable castle went airborne and landed yards away, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
“All of a sudden, we see this dark cloud coming towards us. A lot of wind came towards here, chairs started flying, tables started flying. I see the inflated house, and it went up high, at least 40 feet, I would say. It was just turning up in the air,” event attendee Rosella Peluzzo told CTV News.
The Quebec Coroner’s Office said Tuesday that the victim, identified as Ava Ciampini, died of her injuries, according to Montreal’s Gazette.
Among the injured, four adults and two children, including Ava, were hospitalized. The little girl, having turned 3 the day prior to the incident, suffered brain damage, according to Le Journal de Montreal.
The Rev. Mussie Zerai Yosief of the Missione Madre Dei Cristiani church where the event was held said that “we are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of this 3-year-old girl. Our thoughts go out to her parents and grandparents in this time of grief. We pray for the little girl’s rest in peace; she is an angel,” according to the Gazette.
In a post on social media, Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said, “I wish to extend my most sincere condolences. … No parent should ever have to endure the loss of a child. The circumstances surrounding this tragedy, which occurred during a family gathering that brought together an entire community, make this ordeal all the more difficult to accept.”
