Three-year-old girl dies after jumping castle explodes on popular UK beach

The British girl who died after a jumping castle 'exploded' on a popular beach on Sunday has been named as Ava-May Littleboy.

The three-year-old had been playing on the inflatable trampoline at Gorleston beach, Norfolk when witnesses heard a loud bang and saw her catapulted "six metres into the air" at around 11am.

She suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital after emergency responders attempted to perform CPR.

Ava-May's family has now paid tribute to the toddler, remembering her "infectious laugh and smile".

"Anyone that met her would not want to forget her."

The family has also asked for donations to fund a child's bench in memory of the little girl, to be put in her local park in Suffolk.

A police spokesman says Ava-May's mother was watching nearby when the "unspeakable tragedy" occurred on Sunday morning.

"The trampoline was designed just for one person to use and she was the only person there at the time.

"I am a dad myself and I cannot imagine what the family are going through."

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Onlookers at the popular UK beach reported hearing an "enormous" bang and seeing the little girl, wearing a pink dress, thrown into the air.

"Just seen the most horrific thing in my life. A bouncy castle exploded at the beach and the child on it was catapulted about 20ft into the air," one witness is quoted as saying.

Another claimed the castle was more like a trampoline, allowing users to "jump a lot higher" on it than normal ones.

An inflatable slide, along with a traditional trampoline, had also been in operation in the same 'Bounce About' play area on the day.

The incident is currently being investigated.

This isn't the first time a child has been fatally injured while using a jumping castle.

Summer Grant was playing inside the inflatable at a fair in Essex in March 2016 when it blew away from its moorings, bouncing for 300 metres before hitting a tree.

The seven-year-old was found "very badly injured and struggling to breathe", and later died of her injuries in hospital. 

In 2017, a jumping castle exploded outside a restaurant in northeastern Spain, catapulting a six-year-old girl 13 metres into the air.

She died in hospital hours later, while six other children who had been playing on the toy were also taken to hospital with injuries.