Girl, 3, Killed After She's Thrown From 'Exploding' Bouncy Castle: Report

A bouncy castle
A bouncy castle (not the one pictured) reportedly exploded in England. Getty

Witnesses told reporters the children on the bouncy castle were thrown about 20 feet in the air when it exploded.

A child has died after she was thrown from a bouncy castle that reportedly exploded on a beach in England over the weekend.

The 3-year-old girl was playing on the inflatable bounce-house Sunday when the structure suddenly burst, throwing her into the air in the children’s play area at a beach in Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk, England, according to reports.

More than a dozen calls were made to the East of England Ambulance Service Trust, which responded to the scene in four minutes.

By then, the little girl had gone into cardiac arrest. She was rushed to the hospital, but could not be saved. 

"We would like to thank everyone who rushed to respond the young patient, and did everything possible to give her treatment and care," a spokeswoman for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust told the BBC. "Our thoughts are with the family at this time."

Crowds had flocked to Gorleston, a popular beach destination for families, as the area was experiencing a heat wave.

Witnesses told reporters the children on the bouncy castle were thrown about 20 feet in the air when it exploded.

"I cannot believe what I just witnessed on Gorleston beach," Kayla-Ann Weaver told the Daily Mirror. "Never ever will I let my girls on a bouncy castle, ever."

The owner of the bouncy castle reportedly said it exploded because of the heat. 

“It is very upsetting," owner Curt Johnson told the Mirror. "An inflatable trampoline exploded because of the heat and that is all I know."

After the incident, Robert Halfon, a member of parliament who represents the area, called for an “urgent investigation” into the regulation of inflatable trampolines.

"After two horrific tragedies, Government [needs] to look at update of regulations and inspection regime and consider a temporary ban on bouncy castles in public areas until we can be sure that they are safe," Halfon tweeted.

In 2016, 7-year-old Summer Grant was killed when a bouncy castle blew away at an Easter fair in Harlow, Essex, another area Halfon represents. 

A married couple who worked at the fairground, William and Shelby Thurston, were found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence earlier this month and sentenced to three years in prison in Summer’s death. 

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