1 child killed when gust of wind threw bouncy castle into the air during baseball game

WALDORF, Md. (AP) — One child died and another was injured when a gust of wind blew a bouncy castle into the air during a baseball game in Maryland Friday night, local officials said.

Local emergency services responded to a call in Waldorf, Maryland, at 9:21 p.m. Friday from Regency Furniture Stadium that a bouncy castle had blown up due to a gust of wind while children were inside.

At the time, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs minor league baseball team was playing a game and “the bounce ball went up approximately 15 to 20 feet, causing the children to fall before landing on the field,” according to a news release posted on the Charles County website.

Emergency personnel who were already at the stadium for the game, along with baseball team coaches and several volunteers, began providing aid to the patients within minutes, the release said.

A 5-year-old boy from La Plata, Maryland, was airlifted to Children’s National Hospital in Washington, where he was later pronounced dead, the release said. A second child was also airlifted by Maryland State Police with non-life-threatening injuries.

Courtney Knichel, CEO of Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, said in a statement released by Charles County that “our entire organization extends our condolences to the family grieving the loss of their child and concerns for the child who was injured.”

Charles County Government Commission Chairman Reuben B. Collins II also expressed condolences.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the children and their families during this difficult time,” he said. “We thank our EMS team and the Maryland State Police for their quick actions to provide immediate care to the children.”

The team canceled Saturday’s baseball game and is offering counseling and support to families, players and fans who attended the game, Charles County said in a news release.