Australian authorities are continuing to investigate the deaths of five children and the injuries of others when the inflatable castle in which they were playing was swept away by a gust of wind during a school holiday at the end of the quarter, while at the same time crowds were expressing his condolences to the residents of the small coastal town where the accident took place.
Three boys and a 12-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl were killed in an accident in which children fell from a height of about 10 meters at a school in Devonport, northwest of the island of Tasmania, in southern Australia. Three other children remain in hospital.
This is one of the deadliest accidents in Australia with such games.
"The tragedy that took place yesterday is something that does not fit in the human mind. It is shocking, heartbreaking. "It simply does not fit her mind," said Tasmanian Prime Minister Peter Gatwain today.
About 40 students attended the celebration when strong winds swept away the inflatable castle and some large inflatable balls.
Police said they would meet with workplace safety experts to investigate how high the castle rose from the air, if all the injured children were in it, the direction of the gust of wind and if and how the inflatable castle was tied. on the ground.
Authorities also released the names of the children killed: Edison Stewart (11), Jane Mellor (12), Jay Sheehan (12), Jalaila Jane-Marie Jones (12) and Peter Dodd (12).
Many residents have laid flowers near the scene of the accident while local officials in Devonport say the entire city of 23.000 is trying to manage the grief caused by this tragic accident.
"We are still trying to figure out how we could have lost these children," Devonport Mayor Annette Rothcliffe told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"Everyone knows someone (who was injured in the accident) and we already see people exchanging hugs and supporting each other. "I know that this will continue", the mayor noted.
"Young children were having fun in the countryside with their families and this has turned into this horrible tragedy, this time of year, it breaks your heart," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday, describing the accident as "heartbreaking".