An eight-year-old boy has died following birthday celebrations in what has been declared the "most tragic of accidents". Joshua Dunbar was found unresponsive with a helium balloon over his head during his eighth birthday party at his home in Birkenhead on April 27, 2024, at around 2pm, reported the Liverpool Echo.

The North West Ambulance Service rushed Joshua to hospital and alerted police he was in cardiac arrest, but devastatingly Joshua passed away at 7.23pm that evening. His mother Carly described Joshua as "deeply loved and missed", adding he was "one of a kind with the brightest blue eyes and the cheekiest smile," and "he will forever be in our hearts and his memory will live on through us all". She has urged people to consider the potential dangers of helium balloons after a post-mortem found Joshua's cause of death was "consistent with asphyxia involving a helium balloon".

At the inquest on April 24, coroner Andre Rebello said: "Helium is not poisonous. What has happened is helium has displaced the available air to breathe, and that is what has caused Joshua's death.

"The breathing of helium prevented oxygen getting into his body, and without oxygen, within minutes life is not achievable. This was a most tragic day, because it started as a celebration."

Rebello said there was "no evidence whatsoever" that Joshua would have known the fatal effects, adding that "anyone with a heart" would speculate he had been unaware there was no air inside, or had been trying to alter his voice.

He added: "I don't know. Nobody knows. There's certainly no evidence this was an intentional act. He was a little boy in his room playing, and tragically it had fatal consequences," concluding it was "the most tragic of accidents".

Addressing Joshua's parents, he said: "What you have been through these past 12 months are a parent's worst nightmare. All your hopes, aspirations and plans completely changed and I don't know if anybody can even half imagine what you have been through."

In a statement, Joshua's mother explained how her and her family's lives have been torn apart, urging people to avoid helium balloons.

She said: "Before we lost our son I was very outgoing, very sociable, loads of fun, a good time to be around. I loved spending time with my friends, I loved spending time with my family.

"I loved saying to the kids 'let's go'. Going on adventures, going to watch the sunset, going for a run down the beach. Putting the music on, dancing and singing

"That's how we were. We were a big happy family of six, and I always said we might not have it all together, but together we have it all, and that's what we went by.

"The day that our son was taken from us, a big part of me went with. My heart was just absolutely broken into pieces, never ever to be mended. Now I'm like a totally different person. I don't know myself any more."

Carly said she had suffered mental health problems and PTSD following Joshua's death, adding: "It was absolutely traumatic. You can't erase it from your mind.

"These are visions I will never be able to erase or forget. These are things I've got to live with as well as learning to live without my son, as well as trying to be strong for my other kids. It's just absolutely torture.

"Hand on my heart, I would never want another child to lose their life, another family to feel what we feel every single day. It's just torture and it doesn't get easier, it really doesn't.

"If one, two, three people stop and think and take onboard what I'm saying and don't buy a helium balloon, that's one child death being prevented.