Two children, aged two and four, were found unresponsive inside a car in France this week during a heatwave which is sending temperatures surging above 40C
A manslaughter investigation is underway following the deaths of two children found in a car after allegedly being “forgotten” as a heatwave sends temperatures soaring above 40C in Europe.
The youngsters, aged two and four, are understood to have been discovered unresponsive in the family car, which was parked in the garage of a detached property in the Bois de l’Ubac neighbourhood of Carpentras, France.
Despite resuscitation attempts by emergency services, both children died. Initially it was reported that the children had entered the car without their 33-year-old mother being aware, and then became trapped.
A police source has now told Le Parisien that the mother claimed to have “forgotten her children” while shopping. According to a source close to the investigation speaking to AFP, she gave several different versions of events.
Police were alerted at 1.10pm yesterday to the incident at the property belonging to the children’s grandmother. The prosecutor of Carpentras, Hélène Mourges, told local media: “The cause of death is still under investigation, but the heatwave is the leading theory.”
She stated the two children “allegedly locked themselves” inside the vehicle, and it was believed they got inside the car without their mother knowing. However, a manslaughter investigation has been launched. Initial findings have been made by forensic scientists and the investigation is ongoing, Ms Mourges said.
“Given her condition, no interview has been possible at this time,” stated the public prosecutor.
Millions of people across France woke up drenched in sweat on Tuesday after another night of scorching heat, with most of the population exposed to extreme and exceptional temperatures.
Temperatures will remain exceptionally high around the clock as the national weather service, Meteo France, placed 54 departments under a red heat wave alert. That is about half of the country.
In a country without widespread air-conditioning, schools, trains and sporting events remain impacted, while some 20 drowning deaths have been reported since the weekend.
“Sunshine continues to dominate across France, maintaining oppressive and exhausting heat throughout the country,” Meteo France said. Extreme conditions are expected to last at least until the end of the week, with daytime highs above 40C in many towns.
“Further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records, regardless of the time of year,” Meteo France said.
The heatwave is exceptionally intense, coming very early in the summer, “but with a still uncertain duration,” the weather service said.
It has already been compared to the August 2003 heatwave, when the highest temperatures in over half a century caused an estimated 15,000 deaths, many of them among older people in apartments and retirement homes without air conditioning.
While in the UK, the Met Office has issued a rare “red” weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday. It said temperatures could exceed 37C in the shade, and rise to 40C, in parts of England and Wales.
The Met Office said as well as a risk to health, extreme temperatures could cause heat-sensitive equipment to fail, including power and mobile phone services.
Dr Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “We are forecasting extreme temperatures in the next few days, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday, when it looks like we’ll be seeing maximum temperatures into the high 30s.
“But also we are stressing very high overnight temperatures which will be very uncomfortable for vulnerable groups, and very humid conditions as well.”
