Baby dies after being left in car

A THREE-MONTH-OLD girl has died after being left alone in a car for more than four hours.

The child was left in the vehicle, which was parked in front of the family home in Cuxac-Aude, a town of about 4,000 people near Narbonne, last Thursday.

Narbonne’s deputy attorney Nicolas Deleuze said: “This is a tragedy for the parents.

“Each thought the other had brought the child out of the vehicle. When they discovered her in the car, they called for help immediately.”

The child died two days later in the intensive care unit of the Regional University Hospital of Montpellier.

Mr Deleuze added that the girl’s parents, aged 34 and 36, were considered to be "good" and "caring". They have two other children, aged three and five. He said there was no indication that they would neglect or abuse their children, or that they were under the influence of drink or drugs.

A post-mortem examination will take place to establish if dehydration was the cause of death.

Everyone at the house at the time has been questioned, Mr Deleuze said.

Photo: Frédéric Bisson