Tragedy struck in Seshego, Polokwane, when a three-year-old girl died after being left inside a locked car for nearly eight hours.
According to Limpopo police, the child’s mother allegedly forgot her daughter in the vehicle after arriving at the hospital for a work-related handover session on Monday morning.
Police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba said officers were alerted around 3pm. Upon arrival, a doctor pointed out a blue Toyota Corolla Cross parked in the hospital yard. Inside, the little girl was found motionless in the back seat with the windows tightly shut.
“The doctor confirmed that the child had died from heat exposure and lack of oxygen,” Ledwaba said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the mother had left the child in the car around 7am. The combination of rising temperatures and closed windows caused the child to suffer fatal heat exhaustion.
A postmortem will determine the exact cause of death, while police continue to investigate the case, which has been opened as culpable homicide.