Four children in coma after bouncy castle blown away in high winds

A tragedy struck out of nowhere in the eastern Russian city of Ulan-Ude, when an inflatable bouncy castle was blown into the air while children played in it and landed onto a motorway, leaving five children with severe injuries.

Horrifying CCTV footage shows how the popular amusement castle near a shopping center was lifted up and hurled through the air until it landed in a busy road as people at the scene desperately tried to chase after it.

The children, all aged between three and seven, were thrown into the air and tossed onto the pavement, while parents were seen rushing to their aid and picking them off the ground.  At least two children were buried under the bouncy castle when it landed, local media reported.

Children were rushed to hospital by three ambulance teams.  All five suffered head injuries, including skull fractures, with four of them fighting for their lives in induced comas, the medical authorities in Buryatia said. Some parents were left in shock after the incident and also received medical help.

According to the Investigative Committee of Russia, the bouncy castle wasn’t properly tied down. It was attached to three weights made of car tires and concrete and the ropes were broken, the police report said.

Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into negligence and have put out a search for the owner of the bouncy castle, who fled the scene after seeing the disaster unfolding. Head of the Republic of Buryatia Alexey Tsydenov has ordered double checks on all theme parks in the region and vowed to ban large inflatables if weather forecasts indicated strong winds.

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