Boy, 4, dies after being left for hours in car

A four-year-old boy died Monday after being left for hours in a family car in the southern city of Dimona.

Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the family home in the evening attempted to resuscitate the boy, who was showing symptoms of heatstroke. He was taken to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba in critical condition and doctors later pronounced his death.

Police have opened an investigation into the incident.

An initial probe found that the boy had fallen asleep in the car as his family returned from a trip to a swimming pool, Hebrew media reported.

The boy’s mother told police that she and her two daughters left the car and entered the family home and only realized hours later that the boy was not with them.

Temperatures in the Dimona area reach around 34° Centigrade (93.2° Fahrenheit) or higher in the summer months.

Earlier Monday, paramedics were called to attend to a two-year-old boy who was brought to clinic in Rahat, apparently after having been left in a car. He was taken to Soroka Hospital in moderate condition with heatstroke symptoms.

The Beterem children’s safety group over the past decade has recorded 880 incidents of children left in vehicles, of which 31 died.