France heatwave: young children found dead in car
The two children were aged two and four
The emergency services found the children in cardiac arrest
RVillalon/Shutterstock.
Two children, aged two and four, were found dead on Monday afternoon in a family car parked in a residential area of Carpentras, in the Vaucluse department of southern France.
The exact cause of death is still under investigation, but heat exposure is currently considered as the leading hypothesis. “The causes of death are still determined, but the heatwave is the leading theory,” said Carpentras prosecutor Hélène Mourges, reports FranceInfo.
The children reportedly climbed into the car after their mother returned from shopping, and locked themselves in it. Their mother apparently realised too late what had happened and the emergency services found the children in cardiac arrest.
The tragedy comes as France experiences an extreme heatwave affecting much of the country. Temperatures have exceeded 40C in several regions, with dozens of departments placed under red alert.
During such periods, it is reminded that you should never leave children or pets unattended in a vehicle, even for a short time.
Temperatures inside a parked car can rise extremely rapidly, even when windows are slightly open. On hot sunny days, the interior of a vehicle can reach life-threatening levels within minutes and may exceed 50C - 60C.
In case of a heatwave emergency, the Ministry of Health has activated the national “Heatwave Information Service” hotline on June 18.
The free hotline can be reached on 0800 06 66 66 and is available daily from 9:00 to 19:00.
