A mother in southern France returned from shopping on Monday afternoon to find her two young children dead inside the family car, parked in the garage of their home in Carpentras, Provence. The children, aged two and four, were discovered unresponsive around 1.10pm, when police and firefighters were called. Paramedics attempted to revive them, but it was too late.
The 33-year-old mother told investigators she had been unaware the children were in the vehicle, and claimed to have ‘forgotten her children’ while shopping, according to Le Parisien. It remains unclear how the toddlers made their way into the car or how long they were trapped inside.
“Two children, aged two and four, found dead in mother's car in southern France during 38°C heatwave.”
The tragedy unfolded as much of Europe endures a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures in Provence reaching 38°C on Monday. France has placed emergency services and the military on wildfire alert, restricted public alcohol consumption and cancelled outdoor sporting events. Across the continent, Rome braced for 37°C and Madrid for 39°C.
The UK, meanwhile, issued its second ever red heat health warning – covering six English regions – after the Met Office forecast highs of 38°C to 40°C in parts of England and Wales, accompanied by high humidity and little overnight respite. The UK Health Security Agency warned the heat posed ‘a risk to life for even the healthy population’ and could disrupt transport, food, water, energy supplies and businesses.
‘Today’s forecast is staggering,’ said Mel Evans, Greenpeace UK’s head of climate. ‘Heatwaves are expected to get longer, hotter and more dangerous to human life, to crops and to wildlife. Ordinary people are increasingly paying the price for extreme heat they didn’t cause, while fossil fuel giants continue to rake in billions.’
Last summer was the hottest on record for the UK, with a mean temperature of 16.1°C between June and August, according to the Met Office. The previous record was set in 2018, followed by 2006, 2003, 2022 and 1976. The current heatwave has already prompted comparisons with the deadly 2003 European heatwave that killed an estimated 15,000 people in France alone.