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Prosecutors said Monday that a bouncy castle in which they were playing at a water park was pushed skyward by strong winds, resulting in the death of a father and serious injuries to his daughter, age 4, in France.
After the mishap on Sunday at the water park in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, France's southern Var area, which is incredibly popular with tourists in the summer, the 35-year-old male was transported to the hospital with his child. Later that day, he passed away.
Both fatalities were stuck inside the structure, which was around 20 meters (65 feet) long, and hoisted 50 meters from the ground at the Wonderland Waterpark, according to a statement from the prosecutor for the nearby town of Draguignan.
The prosecutor's office added that the daughter's life is still in danger. It said that "strong gusts of wind" that were buffeting the region at the time after a period of hot weather were to blame for the bouncy castle taking off.
Involuntary homicide has been the subject of an investigation.
The moment the disaster occurred, the park's administration decided to halt the bouncy castle activities due to the weather, according to Draguignan prosecutor Guy Bouchet, who spoke to AFP.
Alain Decanis, the mayor of the area, posted on Facebook, "How can a water park that had been accepted on the municipal territory to bring joy and happiness to children be transformed into a machine of death that strikes down an entire family?"
He promised that the investigation launched by the prosecutors would offer solutions. The child experienced cardiac arrest and, like her father, required resuscitation.
Only this summer did the Wonderland Waterpark, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside of Aix-en-Provence, open.
