Two children aged 2 and 4 die in overheated car amid France's exceptional heatwave

Children found in car

On Monday, June 22, a mother in Carpentras (Vaucluse) returned home from shopping and began unpacking groceries. Her two sons, aged 2 and 4, entered the family car parked in the driveway without her noticing and apparently locked themselves in. According to initial police accounts, the mother forgot about them. Shortly after 13:00, she discovered the boys unresponsive in the vehicle, which was standing in full sun, and called emergency services around 13:20. Firefighters arrived to find the children in cardiorespiratory arrest. For more than ninety minutes, medics attempted resuscitation, but were unable to save them.

“The causes of death are undetermined, but the heatwave is the main hypothesis.”

Mother's account and investigation

The mother, who was treated by emergency services at the scene, told police that the children got into the car without her knowledge and locked themselves in, and that she then forgot them. Bruno Bartoccetti, a police union representative for the southern zone, relayed that initial statement.

“The mother says the children entered the vehicle without her knowledge, locked themselves in, and that she later forgot them. Obviously, this is a first statement. We will continue the investigation and deepen it through a new hearing around this tragedy.”

An investigation for involuntary homicide has been opened. The prosecutor's office will need to determine how long the children remained locked in the vehicle and the exact circumstances leading to the deaths.

A lethal temperature rise

Carpentras was forecast to reach 39°C that day, with some sources reporting temperatures flirting with 40°C. A senior firefighter told Franceinfo that inside a car parked in direct sunlight, the heat can build with deadly speed: the interior can hit 65°C within half an hour and as much as 80°C within an hour.

France swelters under red alert

The tragedy comes as an exceptional heatwave grips France. Forty-nine departments, more than half the country, were placed under the highest red weather alert on Monday. Météo-France, the national weather service, stated that over 90 percent of the population is affected and described the intensity as comparable to the 2003 heatwave that caused around 15,000 deaths.

The extreme temperatures have already taken a wider toll. On Sunday, three elderly people died in their homes in Gironde due to the heat, local authorities said. The civil protection agency reported that at least 10 people drowned on Sunday alone, with 13 drowning deaths recorded over the weekend. Jérôme Boulanger, a spokesperson for the civil protection directorate, appealed for caution.

“We urge people to swim in supervised areas and stress that children in the water must be under adult supervision.”