How a change in the wind brought tragedy to Devonport

The tragic events in Tasmania coincided with a sudden change in wind direction and strength.

A sudden change in wind direction brought on the tragic events in Devonport, when an otherwise calm day turned gusty, leaving five children dead and others critically injured.

The jumping castle they were playing on is reported to have been swept 10 metres into the air by a gust of wind.

At roughly 10am when the incident occurred, the wind in Devonport swung from south to northwest, bringing with it far gustier conditions and wind speeds – more than double that of before.

A sudden change in wind direction coincided with the tragedy, bringing on far gustier conditions than before. Picture: Rob Burnett

When the activity began around 9:30am, conditions were mild and sunny, with temperatures nudging 20 degrees and wind speeds of 7 km/h, gusting to 13 km/h, according to data from Devonport Airport.

However, as the wind swung, things changed. Wind speeds picked up to 13 km/h with gusts up to 17 km/h, increasing into the afternoon and peaking at regular gusts over 30 km/h.

Tasmanian police described a “significant local wind event”, with strong gusts commonly being caused by changes in wind direction and speed.

Investigations are underway into the incident, with involvement from WorkSafe Tasmania.

Several children have fallen from a height of 10 metres, causing serious injuries, after the wind blew a jumping castle into the air at a primary school in Tasmania's north-west @abcnewspic.twitter.com/tf01vevPab

— Monte Bovill (@MonteBovill) December 16, 2021

The children killed were grade five and six students celebrating the end of the school year. Five children are dead, four other children are in a critical condition and one has been seriously hurt.
Those among the dead include two boys and two girls who were grade six students at the primary school.

“On a day when these children were meant to be celebrating their last day of primary school, instead we’re all mourning their loss,” Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine said.

“Our hearts are breaking for the families and the loves ones, school mates, teachers of these young people who were taken too soon.
“Our thoughts are also with those emergency service personnel who attend to try and save these people’s lives.”

Originally published as How a change in the wind brought tragedy to Devonport