WATCH: Children fall from jumping castle swept up by wind
Video footage of the disturbing event has been shared on social media...
A fun-filled school festival in Krugersdorp ended in horror when a jumping castle was swept into the air, leaving two children seriously injured.
According to The Citizen, the shocking incident took place at Protearif Laerskool's Protea Fees, a community event hosted on school grounds.
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A video that surfaced on social media shows the jumping castle being swept up into the air before children can be seen falling from it.
Eyewitnesses watched in disbelief as the castle reached an estimated height of two to three storeys.
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Watch" Two children were seriously injured at a Protearif Laerskool event in Krugersdorp when they fell from an allegedly unsecured jumping castle that became airborne. @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/sviLG3adk8
— Hein Kaiser (@heinkaiser) June 5, 2025
"I looked at the video again and again," a bystander told The Citizen. "While I saw that other inflatable structures were secured, it did not look as if the jumping castle was tied to the ground in any way."
It remains unclear from the footage whether the safety mechanisms failed or if the jumping castle was never anchored to begin with.
Safety expert Melissa Vere Russel from ABC Jumping Castles weighed in, warning that inflatables with roofs or enclosed spaces must always be anchored correctly.
"It can behave like a parachute," she told The Citizen. "A wind can simply pick it up and carry it away."
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She added that all jumping castles are designed with built-in anchoring features and ignoring them, she stressed, can be deadly.
Protearif Laerskool principal Donna Lourens has not responded to media inquiries.
However, assistant Lauren van der Merwe confirmed that the matter has been escalated to the Department of Education, and the school awaits further direction.
Laerskool Protearif shared an update on the children's current condition, stating that both of them have been discharged from the hospital.
"It is with great gratitude that we would like to share this very good news with you. The two children who sustained injuries on Saturday, 31 May, during the freak accident at the Protea-fees, were discharged from the hospital on Saturday (31/5) and Tuesday (3/6), respectively," the school wrote on its official Facebook account.
"The necessary trauma counselling was provided to both children, as well as to the fellow learners who witnessed the incident.
"A heartfelt thank you to everyone for their positive support, help, and prayers!
"What a privilege that Laerskool Protearif can always count on our parents and the wider Krugersdorp community to stand together!"
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