Tragedy as 2 toddlers trapped inside car cook to death in 40C heat | World | News
Two young children were found dead in a car as temperatures reached 40 degrees in France. They got into their 33-year-old mother’s car, which was parked in the family’s garage, and then stranded themselves inside.
While it is not known how long the children stayed in the vehicle, French newspaper Le Parisien reported that fire crews received the call around 13.20 local time today. Later, the children, aged two and four, were found having a heart attack in the emergency room. Despite all efforts to bring them back to life, they tragically passed away.
Carpentras prosecutor Helene Mourges said the mother was believed to have no knowledge that her children were in the car, was taken into emergency care and was not questioned.
40 degree heat wave spreading in France (Image: Getty)
The incident was officially announced by the Carpentras prosecutor’s office in Vaucluse, which stated that the cause of death was “still under investigation” but that “a heatwave is the leading theory.” The temperature was expected to exceed 39 degrees in the afternoon.
This comes after three elderly people died from the heat at their home in Bordeaux on Sunday. The victims were two men and one woman, aged between 80 and 95. Sophie Brocas, the state’s representative in the region, said: France 3 Aquitaine: “We are saddened by the death of three elderly people between the ages of 80 and 95.”
He said emergency services were “attributing the deaths now to the heatwave”, which was comparable in intensity to the August 2003 heatwave, one of the deadliest heatwaves in European history.
The deaths occurred in the towns of Cenon, Saint-Médard-en-Jalles and Saint-Jean-d’Illac, as temperatures exceeded 36 degrees across much of France; Temperatures were recorded above 40 degrees in some towns. 13 more people drowned in swimming accidents.
A man cools off in the pool of the Girondins fountain in France (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, temperatures in England are expected to rise up to 40 degrees. The Met Office has issued a red weather warning and warned that this week could break the record for the highest June temperature of 35.6°C, set in Southampton in 1976. Brits have been told to stay out of the sun and not exercise between 11am and 3pm.
The Met Office forecast says: “Temperatures will rise rapidly on Monday morning, with temperatures expected to reach 34C in southern parts of England.
“Temperatures will rise further on Tuesday, with a high of 37°C predicted for the south of England and 35°C for south-east Wales. The peak of the heatwave is expected to be on Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures expected to rise to 38°C during this period. By Friday, conditions will be less warm, with a high predicted to reach 33°C in eastern areas.”
He adds: “During the heatwave expected to affect large parts of England and Wales this week, the highlighted area now looks increasingly likely to see a period of two to three days where the maximum temperature in the shade exceeds 37 degrees Celsius, perhaps rising to 38 to 40 degrees Celsius in some places.
“There is likely to be significant disruption to daily life and the public should make every effort to take precautions and, where possible, adapt their daily routines to cope with these temperature levels, which have so far been extremely rare for the UK.”
