The heat wave in France claimed the life of another child – an 18-month-old boy died in the city of Marseille, who was left behind by one of his parents in a car parked on the grounds of the La Timone medical faculty on Monday.
The child was found unconscious and with signs of overheating in a vehicle in the parking lot of the university campus in the 10th arrondissement of Marseille. According to available information, one of the parents left the child in the car while going to work. After being freed from the car, the toddler was taken to the La Timone hospital, where doctors treated him urgently, but he died despite their efforts.
At the time of the tragedy, a heat wave warning was issued in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, with temperatures in Marseille reaching around 33 degrees Celsius.
The unprecedented heat wave that has plagued Europe since the beginning of the week has claimed the lives of at least four young children in France, who were left in a parked car by their parents before leaving for other duties, and they died as a result of the so-called forgotten child syndrome. In addition to them, the authorities also report the death of at least 55 people who drowned while trying to cool off outside authorized or guarded bathing areas.
In countries that have been experiencing record heat for several days, such as France and the United Kingdom, hospitals are beginning to fill up: the heat contributes to the deterioration of the health of the elderly, people with chronic diseases, children, but also teenagers and the homeless. Authorities are registering an increase in deaths associated with drowning, hyperthermia and heart attacks.
Extreme heat is also experienced in Germany and the Netherlands, where the authorities of some regions do not recommend traveling and most schools are closed.
In Italy, 18 cities, including Rome and Milan, have issued the highest level of warning against high temperatures. They not only harm people, but also nature: e.g. the lagoons in the delta of the river Po in the north-east of the country are overheating extremely.
“Macroalgae are forming, mussel mortality is high (…). If it had lasted a week, we would have been able to do it, but this prolonged heat is causing really serious problems,” said Paolo Mancin, chairman of the fishermen’s cooperative in the town of Scardovari, standing in the 31-degree Celsius water.
