A tragic incident unfolded on a Spanish holiday island as a 20-month-old toddler passed away due to heatstroke after allegedly being left in a car during extreme temperatures. The child fell seriously ill on Fuerteventura and was swiftly transferred to the island’s general hospital before being airlifted to a public hospital on Gran Canaria. Sadly, the boy succumbed to the heat-related complications at the Materno Infantil University Hospital in Gran Canaria’s capital, Las Palmas, in the early hours of Sunday.
Details surrounding the incident remain scant, with local reports mentioning that the boy was left unattended inside the vehicle. The child’s origin is unknown. The Canary Islands experienced scorching temperatures of up to 45C over the weekend, with a persistent heatwave affecting the popular tourist destination for several days. Consequently, Gran Canaria was under a red alert, while parts of Tenerife were on an orange alert due to the soaring temperatures.
Tragically, this incident echoes a similar heartbreaking event from the previous month, where an 18-month-old named Sofia lost her life after being left inside a licensed nursery transport vehicle near Lisbon for an extended period. The child was reportedly forgotten in Almada, situated on the southern bank of the Tagus River, in close proximity to the Cristo Rei shrine. Despite numerous tourists passing by, the child remained unnoticed inside the closed vehicle as temperatures soared to 30C. The child’s mother discovered her absence when she went to pick her up from the nursery, prompting emergency services to intervene. Regrettably, despite rescue efforts, the toddler could not be revived.
The nursery responsible for the child’s care, Colegio Mestre Cuco, is under investigation by the authorities. These incidents serve as poignant reminders of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles during hot weather conditions.
