A toddler has died after being “forgotten” inside a car in Spain for five hours during an extreme heatwave that saw temperatures soar to a boiling 35C. The boy, believed to be aged around two years old, was found inside his father’s car on an industrial estate in the Costa Dorada town of Valls near the northeastern port city of Tarragona.
The dad reportedly left for work at around 10am on Monday morning and forgot his son was still in the car. A passser by raised the alarm at around 3pm that a young child was unresponsive inside a car parked in an industrial area in the sweltering Catalonian heat prompting emergency services to rush to the scene.
When the police arrived, the father, who had been contacted, had removed his toddler from the vehicle and taken him to an air-conditioned building where he worked in a desperate bid to save his life.
Firefighters were the first to reach the scene and attempted to revive him with help from emergency medical responders who arrived soon after.
Paramedics then tried to resuscitate the child but were unable to revive him.
Efforts to save the young boy’s life were tragically unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A police probe into the horror accident has been launched.
The father, who has not been named, received psychological support at the scene and remains in a state of shock. Police sources said investigators have been unable to question him due to his traumatised condition.
Catalan police have launched investigations to fully clarify the incident, while an autopsy will officially determine the cause of death, with the main hypothesis being that the child died from heat exhaustion and dehydration after being left in the vehicle in staggering 35C heat.
The Mayor of Valls, Dolors Farré, declared two official days of mourning with the council holding a minute’s silence in memory of the boy at 12pm this afternoon in Plaça del Blat.
Scorching temperatures of 46C were recorded in southern Spain over the weekend, as the heatwave gripping Europe shows no sign of abating.