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3-Year-Old Girl Dies After Bouncy Castle Explodes

People were trying their hardest to catch her

Over the weekend, three-year-old Ava-May Littleboy was playing on a bouncy castle at the beach, while her mother watched on. 

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But without warning, the inflatable exploded with a huge bang, sending Ava-May flying into the air. 

Witnesses say the toddler was thrown around seven metres high, as those near scrambled to try and catch the toddler.

โ€œLiterally, it was just screams from everyone on the beach,โ€ witness Zoe Dye told the BBC.

โ€œIt was almost like slow motion. Poor little girl was in the air. No one could do anything. People were trying their hardest to catch her and she just dropped.โ€

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A nearby lifeguard immediately rushed over and did everything he could to keep Ava-May alive until paramedics arrived at the scene, but she was seriously injured from the fall.

โ€œThe young female was seriously injured and in cardiac arrest on our arrival, and was conveyed to James Paget Hospital,โ€ a spokeswoman for the ambulance service said in a statement. 

โ€œSadly, despite all of the efforts and interventions, she was pronounced deceased.โ€

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โ€œWe would like to thank everyone who rushed to respond to the young patient, and did everything possible to give her treatment and care.โ€

Following the heartbreaking death, Ava-Mayโ€™s family released a statement saying, โ€œShe was not your ordinary little girl, as anyone she met, she would leave a lasting impression on.โ€

โ€œAnyone that met her would not want to forget her. Her infectious laugh and smile could light up even the darkest of rooms.โ€

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In 2016, seven-year-old Summer Grant was killed when the bouncy castle she was playing in blew away with a gust of wind. 

British MP, Robert Halfon, is calling for a temporary ban on bouncy castles in public areas until an update of regulations and an inspection regime has been put in place by the government. 

โ€œAnother horrific tragedy after the horrific tragedy in Harlow in 2016,โ€ Halfon continued. โ€œClearly there needs to be a serious review into regulations around bouncy castles. Just awful.โ€

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