A nine-year-old boy was seriously injured in a freak accident after falling from the sky in an inflatable 'zorb' ball.
Horrifying video footage captured the moment the youngster catapulted 20ft through the air before landing on the ground and sustaining serious injuries.
The incident occurred at the Southport Food and Drink Festival on Sunday, June 4, and is believed to have been caused by a "freak weather phenomena" which swept the inflatable ball into the air.
Merseyside Police say enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and are urging anyone with photos or videos to get in touch, the Liverpool Echo reports.
A video of the freak incident has since been shared to social media platform Twitter, with over 5,000 views.
The clip shows two children playing in a paddling pool inside 'zorb' balls before a third inflatable can be seen cascading down through the sky with a boy inside.
The ball lands in the distance and staff members can be seen running towards it before the footage ends.
The nine-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital after sustaining multiple injuries in the incident. His condition is described as serious but stable.
The company behind the zorb ball attraction said they wish the boy a "rapid recovery" and they're currently assisting with multi-agency investigations over this "terrible freak incident."
In a statement on Sunday, Merseyside Police said it was appealing for information after a child was seriously injured at the festival.
A police spokesperson said: "We are now appealing for anyone who may have captured images or videos of the incident to please get in touch to help us establish the circumstances of what happened.
"To send us any images or videos, please use the following link: https://unitedkingdom1cpp-portal.digital-policing.co.uk/merseyside/appeal/incident-at-victoria-park.
"If you have any information, DM @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 596."
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