An autopsy has revealed that two children, aged two and four, died of dehydration after being found unresponsive in a car during a 40C heatwave in Carpentras, France, according to public prosecutor Hélène Mourges, who spoke to France 3 Provence-Alpes.
Incident Details
The children were discovered in the family car, parked in the garage of a detached property in the Bois de l'Ubac neighbourhood. Emergency services attempted resuscitation, but both children died. A manslaughter investigation has been opened.
Initial findings from the Carpentras prosecutor's office stated that the hypothesis of death from exposure to excessive heat appears plausible, subject to further analyses.
Mother's Account
An initial investigation theorized that the children entered the car without their 33-year-old mother's knowledge and became trapped. A police source told Le Parisien that the mother claimed to have forgotten her children while shopping. However, a source close to the investigation told AFP that she has given several different versions of events.
Neighbour Amandine expressed shock, telling France 3 Provence-Alpes: "I'm very shocked. When I learned that it was two children who had been forgotten in the car, I got goose pimples. In this neighbourhood, everyone knows each other, and the children were always playing; they had such a zest for life."
Heatwave Conditions
Police were alerted at 1:10 pm on Monday to the incident at the property belonging to the children's grandmother. Mourges previously stated that the heatwave was the leading theory. She said the children allegedly locked themselves inside the vehicle without their mother's knowledge.
Millions across France experienced scorching nights as temperatures remained exceptionally high. Meteo France placed dozens of departments under a red heatwave alert. The national weather service stated: "Sunshine continues to dominate across France, maintaining oppressive and exhausting heat throughout the country." Extreme conditions are expected to last at least until the end of the week, with daytime highs above 40C in many towns.
In a country without widespread air-conditioning, schools, trains, and sporting events remain impacted, and some 20 drowning deaths have been reported since the weekend.
