3-year-old boy dies after mum 'forgets' him in back of car for six hours in 27C

The youngster was reportedly left alone in the back of his mother's car for six hours in scorching 27C heat in Ponteverdra, Spain, before anyone realized that the tragedy had happened

Officials said the boy had been in the car for "several hours" (

Image: SOLARPIX.COM)

A three-year-old boy died after his mother 'forgot' he was in the back of her car and left him unattended for several hours in 80 F heat to go to work.< /p>

The youngster was reportedly left alone in the vehicle for six hours before anyone noticed. The tragedy happened yesterday in the municipality of O Porrino, near the town of Pontevedra, in the Galician region of northwestern Spain.

The town hall announced overnight that it was declaring three days of mourning and observed a minute of silence at noon today. A local festival has also been suspended following the tragic news.

Local reports said the unnamed mother 'forgot' to drop off the youngster at his nursery school before going to work.

She reportedly parked her car yesterday around 10am near her workplace in Torneiros, and left her son asleep in a child seat in the back of the vehicle.

The alarm was raised around 4pm, with local reports saying the child's father called her after going to preschool and finding out the youngster was missing. Rescuers rushed to the scene but were unable to do anything to save his life and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy will now take place to determine exactly when he died. Local reports said he was left with a jacket because although daytime temperatures in the area reached around 27°C (80°F), it was chilly in the morning.

Officers of the Civil Guard in Pontevedra could not be reached today for comment on the matter. It is understood that the mother of the child receives expert advice.

O Porrino Town Hall said in a statement ahead of the minute of silence: "Today at noon a minute of silence will be observed in the town hall square.

"The festivities planned for this weekend have been suspended out of respect.

“The flags at City Hall will be flying at half mast and the full council meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled.

"Mayor Alejandro Lorenzo expresses his deepest condolences on his behalf and on behalf of the entire council and offers the youngster's family all the support they need at this difficult time."

In August 2018, a 10-month-old girl died in the Mallorcan town of Manacor after her grandfather left her in the back of his car for eight hours in temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) after forgetting to drop her off at preschool.

He found her dead when he returned to the vehicle after running errands several hours later. The unnamed man then accepted a one-year prison sentence in March 2020.