Death of 3-year-old in Montreal bouncy castle echoes past tragedies around the world

Danger warning tape is wrapped around barriers in Parc Ouellette in the Montreal borough of LaSalle on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. A toddler died of her injuries after a bouncy castle was swept up by strong winds on Sunday. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

MONTREAL — A three-year-old girl has died from injuries she sustained when strong winds tossed an inflatable castle into the air during a party at a Montreal park on Sunday. Similar deaths have occurred around the world in recent years. Here is a list of some of them.

In 2022, an eight-year-old girl died from her injuries after strong winds blew a bouncy castle several metres into the air during a fair in Mislata, near Valencia, Spain. Eight other children were injured, some requiring hospital treatment.

In 2021, six children died and three others were seriously injured after a gust of wind lifted a jumping castle about 10 metres into the air during an end-of-year celebration at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, on Australia’s island state of Tasmania.

In 2017, Spanish police said a six-year-old girl died and six other children were injured when an inflatable bouncy castle came free from its stakes and flew into the air in Caldes de Malavella, in northeastern Spain, hurling the children to the ground. Investigators examined whether the accident was caused by anchoring failures or equipment malfunction.

In 2016, a seven-year-old girl died after a bouncy castle at Harlow Town Park, northeast of London, was swept away by a strong gust of wind during an Easter fair. She was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital by air ambulance, but later died from her injuries. Two arrests were made on suspicion of manslaughter.

In 2015, a three-year-old girl died after falling from a bouncy castle that was blown into the air in southern China. State media reported the girl was playing in the inflatable castle outside a supermarket when a sudden gale lifted it from the ground.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2026.

With files from The Associated Press