Two young children, aged two and four, are found dead in a parked family car in southern France amid a severe European heatwave. The children are discovered in the town of Carpentras, where authorities say extreme heat is the most likely factor behind the deaths. Multiple reports describe the car as parked at or near the family home, including in a residential parking area or garage, and say the children were unresponsive when they were found.

One outlet reports that initial prosecutor’s office information indicates the children may have accidentally locked themselves inside the car. Emergency services attempt resuscitation but are unable to save them. Investigators open preliminary inquiries, and further details, including confirmation of the cause of death, are described as being handled through ongoing procedures such as autopsy.

Across the reports, there is broad agreement on the location (Carpentras), the ages of the children, the fact that they are found inside their family’s car, and that the incident occurs during record-high temperatures across Europe. The precise criminal or legal classification of any investigation is described as ongoing, rather than concluded, in the early accounts.