Heatwave Car Deaths
Two Young Children Found Dead in Car Amid France's Extreme Heatwave
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Key Points
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The two children were in the Bois de l'Ubac neighbourhood of Carpentras, and reports indicate their mother, aged 33, had just returned from shopping with them when they were found in the family car parked in the garage.
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The heatwave involved sustained temperatures above 40C across parts of Europe, with Meteo France describing a plateau of extreme heat and cities like Paris and Saint-Nazaire recording record overnight temperatures.
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In the United Kingdom, authorities issued a rare red health warning for six English regions as forecasters warned of temperatures reaching 37–40C and very humid nights during the heatwave.
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The incident occurred in the context of a broader European heatwave that has seen record-breaking highs and widespread heat alerts, with France issuing red alerts and reports of hottest nights in at least Paris and Saint-Nazaire.
Two children aged 2 and 4 were found dead inside a car parked in a garage in Carpentras, southern France, on June 22 — as a fierce heatwave pushed temperatures above 40°C across the country. Emergency services were called at 1:10 pm and tried to resuscitate both children, but neither survived, The Independent reported.
Carpentras Prosecutor Hélène Mourges arrived at the scene to open a formal investigation. She said "the causes of death are still under investigation, but the heatwave is the leading theory," according to Lancs Live. The children's mother, 33, was at home and had no idea her children had gone back into the car.
How Two Young Children Ended Up Alone in a Lethal Car
The family lives in the Bois de l'Ubac neighborhood of Carpentras. That morning, the mother had returned home from a shopping trip with her two children. She believed she had brought them inside, according to Leeds Live. But at some point, the children went back into the car — parked in the family garage — without her knowledge.
Inside a parked car on a 40°C day, temperatures can exceed 60°C (140°F) within minutes — even with windows cracked, The Connexion has warned. Authorities believe the garage, rather than offering safety, may have hidden the danger from view and delayed discovery. Both children went into cardiac arrest, Examiner Live reported.
France Bakes Under Its Worst Heat in Decades
The Carpentras deaths came as France endured one of its most brutal heatwaves on record. As of June 22, 49 of France's 96 mainland departments were under a red alert — the highest danger level — with around 35 million people under "absolute vigilance" orders, The Guardian reported. Bordeaux was forecast to hit 43°C that afternoon.
Paris recorded its hottest June night ever on Sunday, with a low of just 24.2°C — meaning the city barely cooled at all overnight. Saint-Nazaire logged a record overnight low of 23.2°C. French Ecology Minister Mathieu Lefèvre warned that temperatures would not fall before the weekend and called for "great prudence and a great many precautions."
Schools Shut and Nuclear Reactors Throttled Back Across France
The heatwave forced more than 845 schools and collèges to close across France on Monday, mostly in red-alert zones where classrooms have no air conditioning, according to The Guardian. Authorities in several departments also banned public drinking fountains to reduce strain on emergency services.
Energy infrastructure took a hit too. Électricité de France (EDF) was forced to shut down the Golfech 2 nuclear reactor on June 22 because the Garonne River — which cools the plant — was too warm, Insurance Journal reported. Further generation cuts were expected through the week.
UK and Europe Also Brace for Dangerous Heat This Week
The heat is not limited to France. The UK's Met Office issued a rare red health warning for six English regions, with forecasters predicting temperatures of 37–40°C and unusually humid nights, Liverpool Echo reported. Experts say the heat is driven by a strong high-pressure system called the "African anticyclone" pushing up from the south, according to Head Topics.
The scale of Europe's heat crisis is stark. The WHO's Europe office has recorded more than 200,000 heat-related deaths across the continent in the four years before 2026 — most of them described as preventable. Scientists link the growing intensity of these events to climate change and a developing El Niño weather pattern.
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