Families Hold Bedside Vigil For Three Jumping Castle Survivors

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was among many who visited the makeshift memorial site for the victims of the tragic jumping castle incident in Tasmania.

The Prime Minster and his wife Jenny could be seen laying flowers at the Tasmanian Primary school where five children died during a jumping castle accident on Thursday.

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“I want to extend our deepest sympathies to the five families in particular who have lost those precious young ones and we think also of the families of the three who are still in a terribly critical condition,” Prime Minister Morrison said.

“There are no words, only prayers, for our fellow Australians in Tasmania, and for the community that will carry this burden. And it will be a heavy burden. It will weigh them down.”

- Prime Minister Scott Morrison

The five children included 11-year-old Addison Stewart, 12-year-old Zane Mellor, 12-year-old Jye Sheehan, 12-year-old Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and 12-year-old Peter Dodt.

The Prime Minister earlier announced that he would pledge $800,000 to support services for the Tasmanian community in the form of counselling and other mental health support.

“…support won’t just be needed in the next few weeks, it will be needed for many, many, many months, to try and begin that process of healing,” he said.

Approximately $250,000 this go towards mental support for first responders on the scene of the tragic incident while the other $550,000 will go to the rest of the community.

The money will be paid in increments over the course of 18 months to the Primary Health network and will be on top of the $500,000 also pledged but the Tasmanian Government.

While the Prime Minister was paying his respects to the fallen children, three of the surviving children are currently fighting for their lives in the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Families of the injured children held bedside vigils overnight.

On the last day of school term, around 40 children were participating in end-of-term activities which included a jumping castle, when a powerful wall of wind threw the jumping castle over 10 metres into the air, killing five children and injuring three others.

An investigation has been launched into the incident by WorkSafe Tasmania to determine whether the correct procedures were followed and whether the castle was tethered down.

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