A two-year-old boy has tragically died after collapsing suddenly on an inflatable slide at a festival in Romania. Adelin Florin called out to his mother before collapsing, later found to have died from an undiagnosed kidney tumour.
The incident occurred at an annual festival in Satu Mare, Romania, on Friday night. Adelin had been playing on the inflatable with his sister and another child, going down the slide five or six times without any issues. As he climbed the steps for another go, he turned to his family and called “Mummy” before collapsing abruptly.
Emergency crews performed resuscitation at the scene and in the ambulance, but the boy could not be revived and was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed a rare, aggressive kidney tumour that had developed rapidly with no prior symptoms. His parents said previous medical checks, including abdominal ultrasounds, had shown nothing unusual.
“He played right until the last moment,” the boy’s father said. “It could have happened at home, on the road, or in his sleep. It was just a matter of time.” Authorities halted all inflatable attractions and children’s rides at the festival and sealed the area while investigations are underway. Officials confirmed the equipment had valid certifications but still launched a full review. Prosecutors have opened a culpable homicide investigation.
Paediatricians noted that such tumours often present with no symptoms and are most common in children aged two to three. Health experts urge annual checks including blood, urine tests and abdominal ultrasounds for young children to help detect such rare conditions earlier.
