A two-year-old girl has died of heatstroke in north-west Spain after being accidentally left in her father's car during an unseasonably hot spell. The incident occurred in the Galician town of Brión on Wednesday afternoon, when temperatures reached 35°C.
The father had driven his older child to school that morning and intended to drop the toddler at nursery but was distracted by a phone call. He went to work instead, leaving the child in the car for several hours. The alarm was raised when the mother went to pick up the girl at 3pm and was told she had not been dropped off.
Emergency services were called, and the child was taken to a health centre in Bertamiráns, where she was pronounced dead. Police are investigating the incident, and the family is receiving psychological support.
Brión town council declared two days of official mourning and said a minute's silence would be held on Friday. The council expressed condolences and offered municipal resources to the family.
Spain is experiencing exceptionally high temperatures for May, with the state meteorological office, Aemet, forecasting up to 38°C in some southern areas. Aemet noted that the hot spell, while not technically a heatwave, could break May temperature records and last until mid-next week.
