Absolutely horrendous.

12:21, Tue, Jun 23, 2026 Updated: 12:43, Tue, Jun 23, 2026

The property where the children died

The property where the children died (Image: X)

Police have launched a manslaughter probe after two children died after allegedly being left in the car during a 40C heatwave. The youngsters, aged two and four, were reportedly found unresponsive in the family car, which was parked in the garage of a detached property in the Bois de l'Ubac neighbourhood of Carpentras, France.

Early reports suggested that the children had entered the car without their 33-year-old mother noticing and subsequently became trapped inside. Despite efforts by emergency responders to revive them, the kids, sadly did not survive. It comes as France is currently experiencing an unprecedented heatwave, prompting 54 departments to be placed on high alert. The extreme temperatures have had severe consequences, with at least 18 deaths reported due to heat-related causes.

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A police source has now told Le Parisien that the mother claimed to have "forgotten her children" while shopping. According to a source close to the investigation speaking to AFP, she gave several different versions of events.

Police were alerted at 1.10pm yesterday to the incident at the property belonging to the children's grandmother. The prosecutor of Carpentras, Hélène Mourges, told local media: "The cause of death is still under investigation, but the heatwave is the leading theory."

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