Tragedy in France: 18-month-old baby dies of hyperthermia inside car amid heatwave

An 18-month-old baby has died from hyperthermia after being discovered inside a car parked at a university hospital in Marseille. The university confirmed the tragic incident, though the exact date of death was not specified. Firefighters were alerted shortly before 2 p.m. and transported the child to the Timone hospital's pediatric emergency department.

This heartbreaking event adds to a series of similar incidents plaguing France amid an extended and intense heatwave. Just days prior, a 3-year-old died in Saint-Gratien, and two other children, aged 2 and 4, were found dead in their family's vehicle in Carpentras. The Aix-Marseille University president expressed deep sorrow, extending condolences to the victim's family.

Reports suggest one of the child's parents, who works on the university campus, inadvertently left the baby in the vehicle. Temperatures in Marseille had reached 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) the day before the baby's death. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist cautioned that more heat-related fatalities are anticipated as the heatwave, described as rare in its intensity and duration, affects two-thirds of the country and has already claimed dozens of lives across Europe.