Mum ‘forgot’ kids, 2 and 4, found dead in car while shopping during 40C heatwave | World | News

Police have launched a manslaughter probe after two children died after allegedly being left in the car during a 40C heatwave. The youngsters, aged two and four, were reportedly found unresponsive in the family car, which was parked in the garage of a detached property in the Bois de l’Ubac neighbourhood of Carpentras, France.

Early reports suggested that the children had entered the car without their 33-year-old mother noticing and subsequently became trapped inside. Despite efforts by emergency responders to revive them, the kids, sadly, did not survive. It comes as France is currently experiencing an unprecedented heatwave, prompting 54 departments to be placed on high alert. The extreme temperatures have had severe consequences, with at least 18 deaths reported due to heat-related causes.

A police source has now told Le Parisien that the mother claimed to have “forgotten her children” while shopping. According to a source close to the investigation speaking to AFP, she gave several different versions of events.

Police were alerted at 1.10pm yesterday to the incident at the property belonging to the children’s grandmother. The prosecutor of Carpentras, Hélène Mourges, told local media: “The cause of death is still under investigation, but the heatwave is the leading theory.”

She said the two children had “allegedly locked themselves” inside the vehicle, with the belief that they entered the car without their mother’s knowledge. However, authorities have since opened a manslaughter investigation. According to Ms Mourges, initial findings have been gathered by forensic experts, and the inquiry is still ongoing.

The public prosecutor also noted that, due to the mother’s condition, it has not yet been possible to interview her.

On Monday, over 450 temperature records were either broken or matched across the country, making it the third hottest day ever recorded, with a national average of 29.2C.

In the Cher department, temperatures soared as high as 43.3C. Paris is expected to see temperatures exceed 40C later in the week, but the city has already set a new June record of 38.4C on Monday.

Several other cities also experienced unprecedented heat, including Rennes at 40.6C, Angers at 40.9C, Saintes at 42C, and Bordeaux at 41.9C.