A toddler was found dead after being ‘forgotten’ inside a car in northeast Spain as temperatures soared to 35C on Tuesday.
The boy, believed to be aged around two years old, was found inside his father’s car on an industrial estate in the town of Valls, in the province of Tarragona (Catalonia) at 3pm.
Emergency services were alerted in the early afternoon but were unable to resuscitate the child.
Firefighters were the first to reach the scene and attempted to revive him with help from emergency medical responders who arrived soon after.
The boy had been removed from the vehicle and taken into an area with air conditioning where his dad worked while he and colleagues waited for help to arrive.
‘Everything seems to indicate that it was negligence on the father’s part. The child spent the entire morning in a locked car under the sun,’ they added. ‘It was heatstroke. Even an adult would have died.’
Temperatures in Valls reached up to 32C in the shade on Tuesday morning, according to the national meteorological agency Aemet.
Spanish media reports citing police sources state that the father arrived at his workplace around 9am, and had forgotten the child in his seat in the back of his car.
Roughly six hours later, a shocked work colleague reportedly raised the alarm after spotting the child still inside the vehicle while walking past, and which was parked on the industrial estate.
The father, whose identity has not been disclosed, was questioned by police at a local station. However, it remains uncertain whether any formal arrest has been made at this stage.
Investigators currently believe that the child likely died from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration after being left in the car during extreme heat.
Psychological support has been arranged for the family.
Back in May, a nearly two-year-old boy tragically lost his life in Linares, located in the Andalusian province of Jaen, after being found trapped inside a car during scorching temperatures.
It was later revealed that the boy had been accidentally left in the vehicle by his elderly foster father.
A judicial inquiry into the child’s death is still underway.
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Muere un niño de entre dos y tres años al que habían dejado dentro de un coche aparcado en Valls en plena ola de calorhttps://t.co/4nk7MDT9C3 pic.twitter.com/e82HoNHh3C
— EL MUNDO (@elmundoes) July 1, 2025
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