On the morning of 16/4, a man from Dong Loc commune drove his 5-seater car. He took his eldest daughter to elementary school and his youngest child to daycare. After dropping off his older child, he drove the car with his 2-year-old daughter to his workplace, the Nghi Loc Land Registration Office.

Authorities stated the father then locked the car, unaware his daughter was in the back seat, and went to work. At 14h (2 PM) that day, colleagues discovered the girl inside the car and informed her father. Although rushed to the hospital for emergency care, officials confirmed the girl had already passed away.

The girl was the youngest of two siblings. Typically, her mother transported her to school, while her older sister was driven by their father. Authorities determined the child was forgotten in the car for over 5 hours before her discovery.

Nghe An experienced severe heat for the past week. On 16/4, outdoor temperatures reached 37 degrees Celsius, with some areas exceeding 38 degrees Celsius. Meteorological experts calculate that a closed car, left in direct sunlight without air conditioning, can have an interior temperature more than 10 degrees Celsius higher.

Numerous incidents of children dying after being forgotten in vehicles have occurred. In 2024, a 5-year-old boy in Vu Thu commune, Thai Binh, died after being left for 11 hours in a school shuttle. The driver and shuttle staff received prison sentences for involuntary manslaughter, while two teachers received suspended sentences for negligence. In 2019, a 6-year-old boy in Hanoi also died after being forgotten in a school shuttle. The driver, student supervisor, and homeroom teacher were prosecuted and imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter and negligence causing serious consequences.

Duc Hung