First funeral held after Australian bouncy castle tragedy that killed six children

SYDNEY • Mourners gathered in Australia yesterday to bid farewell to Zane Mellor, 12, who died in a tragic bouncy castle accident, the first funeral held for the six children killed in the incident.

Emotional attendees embraced one another before the service in the Tasmanian city of Devonport as grieving family and friends arrived. "Today will be one of the hardest days of my life," the boy's mother, Ms Georgie Gardam, posted on Facebook. "What do I weigh up... the day I lost you or the day I put you to rest. I'm not sure."

The boy's blue coffin - seen in a livestream from inside the chapel - was decorated with PlayStation logos, a poster of the video game Red Dead Redemption II and a bouquet of sunflowers.

Four boys and two girls, aged 11 and 12, died after a gust of wind blew the bouncy castle they were in into the air at a celebration to mark the end of the school year. Two other children remain in critical condition in hospital, while one is recovering at home.

The tragedy triggered an outpouring of grief in the local community and around Australia.

Floral tributes piled up outside the school, with an online fund-raiser for affected families raising more than A$1.4 million (S$1.37 million).

The authorities have said initial witness reports indicated that the children were thrown from a height of about 10m. The Tasmanian authorities have started a probe into the incident.

Specialist police are being flown to the island state to assist with interviewing people who were at the outdoor party, which some 40 primary school children attended.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE