3-year-old dies in hot car as France heat wave intensifies
Why it matters: France logged its hottest day on record and ER visits for heat-related illness have quadrupled nationwide.
A 3-year-old boy died after becoming trapped in a car in St Gratien near Paris during France’s heat wave, as officials reported rising medical emergencies across the country. Prosecutor Guirec Le Bras said the child slipped out of his parents’ supervision for at least 45 minutes on June 24, got into the vehicle and was later found unconscious. France recorded its hottest day since measurements began in 1947, with an average temperature of 30 C and 40.3 C in Paris. Health authorities reported a fourfold jump in emergency room visits for heat-related reasons, while Paris recorded 25 cardiac arrest cases in 24 hours, up from usually fewer than 10.