Boy, 5, dies in locked car; his cousin in grave condition

Children were discovered in family vehicle near Beit Shemesh, in scorching heat

A boy died and his cousin was in grave condition Friday after being found in a locked car in central Israel.

The cousins, both five years old, were found unconscious in the vehicle in the moshav of Zanoah, near the city of Beit Shemesh. Both were rushed to Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem Hospital, but one of them died en route.

The second child was said to be in very serious condition and was admitted to the intensive care unit and placed on artificial respiration.

According to Hebrew-language website Ynet, the cousins were apparently playing on Friday, when their families — who live together — noticed that they were missing. When they went looking for them, they found them unconscious in the family car, which was locked.

Magen David Adom paramedics were scrambled to the scene shortly after 3 p.m, and began resuscitation efforts. Two fire and rescue service teams also arrived and helped the paramedics extract the children from the car.

One paramedic told Ynet: “We saw in the car two unconscious kids, with no pulse and not breathing. I went to one child, gave him mouth-to-mouth and medicine, and his pulse returned.”

Another paramedic tended to the other child.

“He was unconscious and very warm to the touch with signs of heat stroke,” the paramedic said. “We gave him life-saving treatment, including cooling the entire body, and carried out advanced resuscitation for a long amount of time, and these efforts continued as he was being driven to the hospital.”

Police officers, detectives and forensics experts arrived later.

Temperatures in Israel on Friday reached 29°C (84°F). The temperature inside a car parked in the sun can reach a dangerously high 50°C (122°F) or even hotter.