LA ROMIEU, France — A five-year-old boy died Sunday after a heavy sliding gate fell on him and his two-year-old brother at their family home in La Romieu, in France’s Gers department, as relatives were preparing for a baptism.
Golden Page News|August 24 |2026
The tragedy occurred on the morning of August 23, 2026, as the family was preparing to celebrate the baptism of the younger child. Tables and tents had reportedly been set up in the family’s garden ahead of the gathering.
According to local reports, the large metal gate, which was mounted on rails, suddenly fell onto the two boys for reasons that remain unclear. Thierry Cambournac, the mayor of La Romieu, said the gate weighed several hundred kilograms.
Emergency services were quickly called to the scene. The five-year-old boy was in cardiac arrest when rescuers arrived. A SAMU medical helicopter was dispatched from Toulouse-Purpan Hospital as emergency crews attempted to save him, but despite resuscitation efforts, the child could not be revived.
His two-year-old brother suffered a head injury and was taken to hospital in Condom for medical examinations. His injuries were described as less serious.
The incident has left La Romieu, a small community of fewer than 600 residents, deeply shaken.
“We are all deeply shocked and saddened,” Mayor Thierry Cambournac said, according to local reporting. After visiting the scene, the mayor expressed his condolences to the family and urged residents to keep the boy and his loved ones in their thoughts and prayers.
The family was reportedly preparing for what was supposed to be a joyful celebration when the accident occurred.
Investigators Favor Domestic Accident Theory
Gendarmes from the Condom brigade attended the scene and carried out initial observations as authorities sought to establish exactly why the gate collapsed.
At this stage, investigators are treating the incident as a domestic accident, with no indication that a third party was involved. The precise circumstances surrounding the gate’s fall remain under investigation.
The devastating accident transformed a day intended to mark a family baptism into a tragedy, leaving relatives and the local community mourning the loss of a young child.
