Five children died and several others were seriously injured on Thursday after falling from a bouncy castle that was lifted about 10 meters into the air by fierce winds in Australia.

Police said the pupils at a primary school in Devonport, northern Tasmania, were celebrating the last week of class before Christmas break when the incident happened.

Several rescue helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene after the incident, which occurred around 10 a.m. on an otherwise sunny, early summer day. Images from the school showed attending police officers in tears, and a swathe of blue tarpaulin sheets shielding what officers described as "a very confronting and distressing scene." 

A police investigation is underway.