Overview
- Emergency teams discovered the two siblings unresponsive inside their parents’ parked car and were unable to revive them after arriving on scene.
- Local prosecutors say early findings suggest the children may have locked themselves inside the vehicle and have opened a negligent-homicide inquiry while ordering forensic autopsies.
- The children's mother was treated by firefighters at the scene and was not available for questioning because of her condition.
- The deaths occurred during an extreme national heatwave that has put large parts of France under the highest warning level and has been linked to other recent heat-related fatalities and fatal bathing accidents.
- Investigators are awaiting autopsy results to establish the exact cause of death, and the case could prompt renewed public warnings and scrutiny of risks to children left or locked in cars on hot days.