A post-mortem examination has confirmed that two young children found dead in a family car during a severe heatwave in southern France died of dehydration, according to public prosecutor Hélène Mourges.
Details of the Incident
The children, aged two and four, were discovered unresponsive in the family vehicle parked in the garage of a detached home in the Bois de l'Ubac area of Carpentras, France. Emergency services attempted to revive them but were unsuccessful. The deaths prompted a manslaughter investigation.
Prosecutor Mourges told France 3 Provence-Alpes that the autopsy concluded dehydration as the cause of death. A statement from the Carpentras prosecutor's office noted that preliminary findings suggest "the hypothesis of a death resulting from exposure to excessive heat" appears "plausible subject to the results of further analyses currently underway."
Conflicting Accounts from Mother
Early investigations have explored the possibility that the children climbed into the vehicle 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 since provided several conflicting accounts of the events.
Neighbor's Reaction
A neighbor named Amandine expressed profound shock. "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," she told France 3 Provence-Alpes.
Heatwave Conditions
The incident occurred during a severe heatwave in France, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in many areas. Meteo France issued red heatwave warnings for dozens of departments. The extreme weather has disrupted schools, trains, and sporting events, and approximately 20 drowning fatalities have been recorded since the weekend. Meteo France stated, "Sunshine continues to dominate across France, maintaining oppressive and exhausting heat throughout the country."
