A four-year-old girl suffocated while playing on an inflatable bouncy castle at an amusement park, while the staff were allegedly staring at their smartphones.

During a family outing to the amusement park in the Ukraine with her mother, Anna, a tragic event unfolded that led to the death of little Valeria on Saturday, May 13. She accidentally hung herself after becoming entangled in the ropes of the bouncy castle. The sound of Valeria’s cheerful laughter subsided, leading her mother to grow anxious and prompt the park staff to check out her daughter.

Local news outlets reported allegations that the park staff, who were entrusted with ensuring the children’s safety, were instead engrossed in their smartphones when the accident occurred. Upon finding her daughter in an unresponsive state, Anna sought assistance from the staff, who reportedly ran away.

According to Natalia Kuchynska, a family friend, Anna initially assumed her daughter had suffered heat exhaustion and collapsed, prompting her to attempt to revive the child.

The grim reality quickly unfolded, with park visitors dialing for emergency services and making frantic efforts to resuscitate Valeria, splashing water on her and performing CPR.

Kuchynska explained that with the absence of medical professionals onsite, one person raced to a nearby clinic to summon dentists, hoping they could examine the child and revive her using unconventional methods such as ammonia and light. However, their desperate attempts proved unsuccessful, and upon the arrival of paramedics, Valeria was declared dead.

Sergiy Shaikhet, the Mykolaiv Oblast region’s police chief, confirmed in a preliminary report that Valeria’s death resulted from suffocation caused by her entanglement in the bouncy castle’s loops.

As part of the ongoing investigation into the incident, the bouncy castle’s 45-year-old owner has been taken into custody. Should she be found guilty, she could face up to eight years in prison.