A tragic pattern of child deaths has emerged during France's severe heatwave. An 18-month-old baby has died in a Marseille hospital after being discovered in an overheated vehicle. This is the fourth such fatality in the country this week.
The infant was found suffering from hyperthermia in a car park at the La Timone hospital campus on Tuesday. Despite emergency care, the child succumbed. Temperatures in Marseille reached 33°C (91°F) that day.
The university president expressed profound condolences. An official inquiry has been launched.
This week's toll includes three other children. A three-year-old boy died near Paris after becoming trapped in a family car. Two children, aged two and four, were found dead in a car in Carpentras on Monday.