Latest news with #Krugersdorp
News24
2 days ago
- News24
Two children safe after ejected from airborne jumping castle at school festival
Two children who were catapulted out of an airborne jumping castle in a freak accident at a school festival are safe and receiving counselling, according to the school. In a statement posted on Facebook, Laerskool Protearif said the children were discharged from hospital on 31 May and 3 June, respectively. The incident unfolded within seconds on 31 May at the school's Protea Fees in Krugersdorp. What began as a joyful afternoon filled with music and laughter turned into a scene of chaos and horror. In a widely shared video of the incident, the brightly coloured jumping castle can be seen lifting a few metres into the air while the children are still inside. As the inflatable structure twists mid-air, the two children are ejected. Parents can be seen rushing across the school field and reaching for the children. 😱South Africa Two Children were Injured at a Event in Krugersdorp when they Fell from An Allegedly Unsecured Jumping Castle that Became Airborne. — Truthseeker (@Xx17965797N) June 7, 2025 According to reports, the jumping castle was not securely fastened when the wind swept it off the ground. News24 contacted the event organisers. However, they referred all enquiries to the school.
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Terrifying moment bouncy castle takes off in freak wind flying 40ft into air sending children plunging back to earth
THIS is the shocking moment a freak wind sent a bouncy castle soaring 40 feet up into the air, injuring two children. It unfolded at a fundraising day at a school in South Africa, where an unexpected gust flicked the castle into the sky. 5 5 5 Brief footage of the incident shows the large bouncy castle taking off as stunned onlookers scream in horror. Instead of dropping back down to earth, the inflatable continues to spiral upwards over Laerskool Protearif primary at Krugersdorp. But the most heart-stopping moment comes when two kids fall out of the floating castle. Terrified parents scramble to break their fall as they drop from the inflatable, no longer able to cling on. While the onlookers managed to form a human crash mat, the two kids are still reported to have been seriously injured. One of the children is understood to have suffered a fractured skull, and the other a broken arm. The bouncy castle later landed around 50 feet from where it took off. It is not known if any other children were on board at the time of the incident. A statement on the school's Facebook page confirmed that two kids had been taken to hospital following the incident. The fundraising event was attended by more than 1,000 parents, pupils and friends last Saturday. The school's statement reads: "It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you. "The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively. "The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together. "We thank you very much for everyone's positive support, help and prayers." The school, which has 620 pupils aged 6 to 13, previously hit headlines in 2017 when a tornado blew off its roof and destroyed its buildings. An eyewitness of the bouncy castle takeoff said: "When they fell I thought they were dead. "I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens. "Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below. "They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them. "It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground." It is unclear from the footage if the bouncy castle had been securely tethered ahead of the incident. Melissa Vere Russel of ABC Jumping Castles, which was not the company used, said: "In high gusts a bouncy castle can act like a parachute and the wind can carry it away. "All castles are manufactured with mechanisms to secure them to the ground and failing to anchor them properly could end in disaster and could be fatal." It comes after an Australian bouncy castle operator was found not guilty of failing to comply with safety laws after the tragic death of six children in Tasmania when strong winds blew an inflatable into the air. The horror incident happened in 2021 when a bouncy castle was blown three feet into the air and landed in a tree 160 feet away. Six children died and three others were seriously injured. But owner of operator Taz-Zorb Rosemary Gamble was cleared of breaching work safety laws after the tragedy was ruled to be "due to an unprecedented weather system that was impossible to predict and avoid". Angry parents reportedly shouted at the bouncy castle owner after the verdict. Gamble's lawyer read a statement on her behalf, saying: "I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did. "I am a mother. I can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened. "Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life." 5
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment two children cheat death after falling from bouncy castle blown 40 feet into the air during school fund-raiser
Terrifying footage captures the moment two children cheat death after falling from a bouncy castle blown 40 feet into the air by strong winds. The horror happened during a fund-raising day at a school in South Africa when an unexpected gust caused the apparently untethered inflatable to take flight. Witnesses at the Laerskool Protearif primary in Krugersdorp screamed in terror as the multi-coloured castle spiralled high into the sky. A shocked attendant watched helplessly as one of the children trapped on the inflatable was unable to hold on and plummeted to the ground below. Just moments later, a second youngster also lost their grip and plunged off the side of the castle. Quick-thinking parents at the event formed a human crash pad to break the pupils' fall, but despite their efforts, both children were still seriously injured. They were rushed to hospital where one was said to have a fractured skull and the other a broken arm. It is not known how many or if any other children were on board and managed to cling on inside the bouncy castle which landed about 50 feet from where it took off. The fund-raising event that nearly turned into a tragic disaster was held last Saturday on the school playing fields attended by over 1000 parents, pupils and friends. School headmaster Deon Lourens declined to comment but a statement on the school Facebook site confirmed two learners were rushed to the nearest A & E unit. It revealed that one child, thought to be the one with the broken arm, was released the same day, and the other with a fractured skull, was released three days later. The statement read that both children were receiving trauma counselling but added: 'It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you. 'The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively. 'The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together. 'We thank you very much for everyone's positive support, help and prayers' it said. An eye-witness with two pupils at the school, who asked not to be named for fear of getting her children into trouble, said: 'When they fell I thought they were dead. 'I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens. 'Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below. 'They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them. 'It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground' she said. The school has 620 pupils aged 6 to 13 and last hit the headlines due to high winds when a tornado blew off its roof and destroyed its buildings in 2017. The 100mph tornado devastated a huge area of Johannesburg killing three people. A video of the incident was given to a local paper The Citizen by a concerned parent who said: 'I have looked at the video again and again and it appears untethered. 'While I saw that other inflatable structures were secured it did not look as if this jumping castle was tied to the ground in any way and went up about 3 storeys. 'I seriously hope lessons are learned for future school fundraisers' he said. It is unclear from the footage whether any ropes, tethers or anchoring mechanisms usually sold with the product were being used as they have to be by the law. Melissa Vere Russel of ABC Jumping Castles, not the company used, said: 'In high gusts a bouncy castle can act like a parachute and the wind can carry it away. 'All castles are manufactured with mechanisms to secure them to the ground and failing to anchor them properly could end in disaster and could be fatal'. The school's principal Deon Lourens declined to comment and his deputy Lauren van der Merwe said the matter had been referred to the Department of Education. A school spokesman added: 'There is a full and transparent investigation underway into what happened and it would inappropriate to comment until that is concluded'. Disasters on bouncy castles 'taking off' are not uncommon and a criminal trial into the death of 6 children killed in 2021 in Devonport, Tasmania, ended today. The fatalaties, including 3 serious injuries, happened at Hillcrest Primary School when a bouncy castle was blown 33 feet into the air and landed in a tree 160 feet away. The operator of Taz-Zorb who owned the inflatable Rosemary Ann Gamble was cleared of breaching work safety laws to the anger of parents by a magistrate. It ruled that the 'dust-devil' that hit the bouncy castle killing the children was 'due to an unprecedented weather system that was impossible to predict and avoid'. The victims 4 boys and 2 girls were all pupils aged between 11 and 12. Angry parents shouted at the bouncy castle owner after the verdict who sat quietly sobbing. An investigation by the Journal of Paediatric & Child Health in Australia after the tragedy collated incident from all around the world based on press reports. It found that between 2000 and 2022 that there had been 28 deaths and 484 children and people injured on airborne bouncy castles with a third in China. In 2018 two fairground workers were jailed for 3 years for the bouncy castle manslaughter on grounds of gross negligence after the death of Summer Grant, 7. The schoolgirl was on an inflatable that was blown away with her inside in Harlow, Essex, which cartwheeled 300 yards down a hill across a park and into a tree. In 2004 a 5-year-old boy died falling from a bouncy castle which was blown 20 feet up into the air and onto the pitch of a baseball stadium in Arizona by a gust. In 2006 two women aged 38 and 68 were killed at Riverside Park in Chester —le-Street, County Durham, falling out of an airborne inflatable but 30 survived. In 2024 the 2-year-old son of a Phoenix firefighter was killed when a bouncy castle at a house party in Casa Grand, Arizona, took off in high winds and he fell out. In the UK the Health & Safety Executive says inflatables by law must have at least six anchor points with high quality rope able to take high pressures at all points.
The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Powerhouse from Krugersdorp named World's Strongest Man
Krugersdorp's very own Rayno Nel has done his country and community proud by securing a sweet victory at the recent World's Strongest Man competition held in California, United States of America. • Also read: Krugersdorp's Rayno crowned International Strongman What makes this achievement even more impressive is that Rayno has only been participating in the sport for two years, having previously been a rugby player. In June last year, South Africa hosted the Strongman Champions League for the first time, with the vision of someday seeing a South African reach the pinnacle of this sport. According to Rayno, for this to have happened so quickly was a welcome surprise. From his Varsity Cup days at the Central University of Technology to lifting the ultimate title in strength sports, Rayno's journey has been one of sheer resilience and national pride. His win serves as a reminder that greatness does not ask for permission; it announces itself. In his rookie season, Rayno boldly announced South Africa's presence in this global sport. Weighing an astonishing 147kg and standing at an impressive 1.9 metres tall, he has always had the physical presence of a strongman. Rayno confirmed that he only began competing in strongman competitions in 2023, when he emerged victorious in his first-ever showing at South Africa's Strongest Man. His impressive performances continued over the next couple of years, including winning the 2023 Africa's Strongest Man competition and finishing fourth at the Siberian Power Show last year. Winning the global competition on his first attempt cannot be understated, as he broke further records, including being the first man from outside Europe or North America to take the title in the competition's 48-year history. Before his rugby career, Rayno played for the Free State Cheetahs. He grew up in Upington and went on to study in Bloemfontein before moving to Krugersdorp to be closer to his fiancée. Rugby was what I thought I would do for my sports career. 'I didn't think I would do any sport ever again, but I always had this competitive side to me, so when I stopped playing rugby, I knew I needed to do something competitive. That's just who I am.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
