Authorities in the Galician province of A Coruña are investigating the death of a two-year-old girl who died of heatstroke after being accidentally left in her father's car during an exceptionally hot May day. The incident occurred in the town of Brión, where temperatures have soared to unseasonable levels, with forecasts of up to 38°C (100°F) in some parts of Spain.
Details of the Incident
The child, who has not been named, went into cardiac arrest on Wednesday afternoon after spending several hours inside the vehicle. According to media reports, the father had driven his older child to school that morning and intended to drop the toddler at nursery. However, he became distracted by a phone call and drove directly to work, leaving the girl in the car.
The alarm was raised when the mother went to pick up the child from nursery at 3pm and was informed that she had not been dropped off. Realising what had happened, the parents contacted emergency services. The girl was rushed to a health centre in the nearby town of Bertamiráns, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigation and Community Response
Police are investigating the circumstances of the tragedy. The family is receiving psychological support. Brión town council has declared two days of official mourning and announced a minute of silence to be held in the girl's memory on Friday.
“We would like to offer our deepest condolences and all our support to the family of the little girl who lost her life in Brión yesterday, as well as to all her friends, while we make all the municipal resources they need available to them in these difficult times,” the council said. “May she rest in peace.”
Extreme Heat in Spain
Spain has been bracing for temperatures more typical of midsummer. The state meteorological office, Aemet, reported that “exceptionally high temperatures” could reach 36-38°C in southern parts of the country. Aemet noted that May had previously seen below-normal temperatures, but now the country is experiencing a sharp contrast with very high temperatures for this time of year, potentially breaking heat records.
The hot spell, which does not meet the technical criteria for a heatwave, is expected to last until the middle of next week. Spain is one of the European countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, having experienced an increase in heatwaves and large forest fires in recent years.
A 2022 Aemet study found that the arrival of 30°C temperatures across Spain and the Balearic Islands had come, on average, 20-40 days earlier over the previous 71 years. Rubén del Campo, an Aemet spokesperson, stated, “The summer is eating up the spring. What’s happening fits perfectly with a situation where you have a warmer planet… The climate in Spain isn’t the one we used to know. It’s got more extreme.”
Spain recorded its highest ever temperature in August 2021, when the mercury in the Andalucían town of La Rambla, near Córdoba, reached 47.6°C.
