An 18 month old child has died after reportedly being left in a car during France’s deadly heatwave.
The toddler was found unconscious inside a parked vehicle at the university medical campus in Marseille on Tuesday after a parent is believed to have forgotten the child while travelling to work.
Firefighters rushed the child to La Timone Hospital suffering from severe hyperthermia, but despite their efforts the toddler could not be saved.
According to BFM Marseille Provence, the parent had driven to work at the medical campus before allegedly realising the child had been left inside the car.
The heartbreaking incident comes as France experiences one of its most intense heatwaves on record, with temperatures climbing far above normal for the time of year.
Large parts of France and western Europe have been hit by temperatures ranging from 32C to 38C, with the extreme heat expected to continue until the end of the week.
Wednesday became the hottest day ever recorded in France, according to the national weather agency Météo France.
A record temperature of 43.8C was registered in Palluau in the Vendée department, breaking the country’s previous all time high.
