MONTREAL: A three-year-old girl has tragically succumbed to her injuries after a bouncy castle she was playing in was swept into the air by powerful wind gusts in Montreal. The heartbreaking incident occurred on Sunday afternoon during a community celebration at Ouellette Park in the southwest borough of LaSalle. Emergency officials reported that a sudden storm brought severe wind gusts reaching up to 50 kilometers per hour around 4:30 PM, causing the large inflatable play structure to lift completely off the ground with children still trapped inside.
The terrifying accident left a total of 11 people injured, including seven adults and four children. First responders rushed to the scene to treat multiple victims suffering from traumatic impact injuries, ultimately transporting six individuals to the hospital. Quebec’s coroner’s office officially confirmed the toddler’s passing on Tuesday morning, extending profound condolences to the grieving family. Political leaders, including Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, also expressed their deep sorrow, noting that the entire community has been left deeply shaken by the tragedy.
An official investigation has been launched by the Montreal police and the coroner’s office to determine whether proper safety protocols and anchoring standards were followed during the event. Experts and safety advocates have used the tragic milestone to highlight the hidden dangers of inflatable play structures, emphasizing that they present massive surface areas that turn them into sails during sudden high winds. Health Canada maintains strict guidelines advising operators that such structures must be securely anchored and immediately deflated if wind speeds exceed safe manufacturer thresholds.
