Girl dies after being left in car for 2 hours

A five-year-old Emirati girl has died after being left in a car during day time temperatures of almost 45 degrees, police have said.

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UMM AL QUWAIN // A five-year-old girl has died after being left in a car during day time temperatures of almost 45 degrees, police have said.

RR, an Emirati, was left in the car for about 2 hours while her family visited a friend in Umm Al Quwain city yesterday, said Col Khamis Buharoon, the director of police stations for UAQ police.

"The child was with her grandmother and two young relatives," he said. "They left their car and went to a supermarket. From there they went to see a family friend in the neighbourhood.

"It was while they were there that they noticed they were not with RR."

When they returned to their car to check whether she was asleep, they noticed she was not moving. They rushed RR to hospital where they were told she was already dead, said Col Buharoon.

The accident is the second of its kind in a week. A two-year-old Emirati boy died after being accidentally left in a car for almost four hours in outside temperatures of 42°C in Kalba in Sharjah last Saturday. He was asleep in the back of the family's car as they returned home and parked in the garage at 3pm. Nobody realised the child was missing until early evening, when he was found dead.

Col Buharoon has appealed to parents to ensure the safety of their children in cars and make sure youngsters are with them at all times.