A three-year-old boy has been found dead inside a family car during a severe heatwave in France, where temperatures reached 44C. The child was discovered in cardiac arrest on Wednesday evening in Saint-Gratien, Val-d'Oise, after telling his parents he was going to nap in his room.
Details of the Incident
Emergency services received a call at approximately 7pm on June 24. The boy was found unresponsive in the family vehicle. The same day, a 79-year-old man was found in cardiorespiratory arrest at his home around 10:30 am and was declared dead, in a death possibly linked to the heat.
Earlier Tragedy in Carpentras
This tragedy follows the deaths of two other children, aged two and four, found dead in a family car in Carpentras days earlier. The children were discovered by their mother in the vehicle parked in direct sunlight. A manslaughter investigation was launched, and a post-mortem confirmed dehydration as the cause of death. Public prosecutor Hélène Mourges stated initial inquiries suggest the children entered the car without their mother's knowledge and became trapped.
Warnings from Officials
Carpentras mayor Hervé de Lépinau urged parents to be "extra vigilant" during the heatwave, saying, "During these periods of extreme heat, parents and grandparents [must] be extra vigilant in supervising young children. Cars, swimming pools and unshaded outdoor areas are all zones of deadly danger with these high temperatures."
Heatwave Conditions
Across France, 72 out of 101 departments were placed under a red heat alert. The country recorded its hottest day ever on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 44.3C in Pissos, Landes.
