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TERRIFYING footage has captured the moment a nine-year-old boy in an inflatable zorb ball was swept into the air before crashing to the ground.

The shocking incident occurred at the Southport Food and Drink Festival on Sunday June 4.

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Terrifying footage shows the nine-year-old boy hurtling through the airCredit: Twitter
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The boy is travelling 20ft in the air before crashing downCredit: Twitter
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A helicopter airlifted the youngster to hospital after the incidentCredit: Sky News - Gary Robinson

Footage shows two children playing inside separate zorb balls before a third ball comes into view.

Bystanders watched on in horror as the youngster in the ball hurtled across the sky while 20ft in the air before starting to drop.

A panicked staff member can also be seen running towards the inflatable as it lands in the distance as the video ends.

The young lad was airlifted to hospital with multiple injuries after the incident and was described as being in a serious but stable condition.

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Some witnesses said the ball was swept up by a "freak weather phenomena".

The Health and Safety executive has since launched an investigation.

A spokesperson said: “We are investigating an incident in Southport on Sunday June 4 in which a nine-year-old-boy was seriously injured.

"We’ll provide further updates when appropriate.”

The company behind the zorb ball attraction said they wish the boy a "rapid recovery" and are currently assisting with multi-agency investigations over this "terrible freak incident", reports MEN.

Merseyside Police has urged anyone who captured images or video to get in touch to help establish the circumstances.

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."

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A nine-year-old boy suffered "significant" injuries in the freak accident
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