Mum ‘forgot’ kids, 2 and 4, in car during 40C heatwave after shopping trip
The two children, aged two and four, were found unresponsive in the family car parked in the garage of a property in Carpentras, France, as a manslaughter investigation is now underway
The two children were found unresponsive by emergency services after being pulled from the car(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A manslaughter inquiry has been launched after two children were found dead in a car following claims they were “forgotten” during a heatwave that has pushed temperatures beyond 40C across Europe.
The youngsters, aged two and four, were reportedly discovered lifeless in the family vehicle, which had been left in the garage of a detached house in the Bois de l’Ubac area of Carpentras, France.
Emergency crews’ attempts to revive both children proved unsuccessful. Initial reports suggested the children had climbed into the car without their 33-year-old mother’s knowledge before becoming stuck inside.
A police source has now revealed to Le Parisien that the mother claimed she had “forgotten her children” after shopping. An investigation source speaking to AFP indicated she provided multiple conflicting accounts of what happened.
Officers were called to the incident at 1.10pm yesterday at the property owned by the children’s grandmother. Carpentras prosecutor Hélène Mourges told local press: “The cause of death is still under investigation, but the heatwave is the leading theory.”,
She explained the two children “allegedly locked themselves” in the vehicle, with initial beliefs suggesting they entered the car unbeknownst to their mother, reports the Mirror.
However, a manslaughter probe has commenced into the tragedy.
Forensic experts have completed preliminary examinations and the investigation continues, Ms Mourges confirmed.
She said: “Given her condition, no interview has been possible at this time,” the public prosecutor declared.
Millions across France awoke drenched in sweat on Tuesday following another night of blistering heat, with the majority of the population subjected to extreme and exceptional temperatures.
Temperatures will persist exceptionally high round the clock as Meteo France, the national weather service, issued a red heatwave alert for 54 departments. This covers about half of the country.
In a nation where air-conditioning is not widely available, schools, trains and sporting events continue to be affected, while around 20 drowning deaths have been reported since the weekend.
“Sunshine continues to dominate across France, maintaining oppressive and exhausting heat throughout the country,” Meteo France stated. Extreme conditions are anticipated to last at least until the week’s end, with daytime highs exceeding 40C in numerous towns.
“Further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records, regardless of the time of year,” Meteo France announced.
The heatwave is extraordinarily intense, arriving very early in the summer, “but with a still uncertain duration,” the weather service noted.
It has already drawn comparisons to the August 2003 heatwave, when the highest temperatures in over half a century resulted in an estimated 15,000 deaths, many among elderly individuals in flats and retirement homes without air conditioning.
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