U.S. heatwave: 9 kids die in cars

[Anchor]

The heat wave in the central and eastern United States has intensified, with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius for quite some time now.

In this weather, there have been several incidents of children left alone in cars dying from heat exposure.

This report is brought to you by reporter Hong Jin-ah.

[Report]

Police arrived after receiving a report that a child was not breathing.

["(Where is the baby?) He's on the floor."]

On the 6th local time, an 18-month-old child was found dead in a car in Florida, USA.

The child's father left the child alone in the car for three hours starting from noon when the sun was at its peak, while he got a haircut and even drank alcohol.

At that time, the temperature was 32 degrees Celsius, and local media estimated that the inside of the car reached 44 degrees Celsius.

[Mike Chitwood/Florida Sheriff: "I want to start out by saying that this father is a 'human piece of garbage.' He is facing felony aggravated child abuse and felony manslaughter."]

This year, starting in June, cities like New York and Washington have recorded maximum temperatures close to 40 degrees, and already 9 children have died from heatstroke after being left in cars in the United States.

In the southern part of France, where the heat wave is also severe, a 2-year-old child was found dead in a parked car.

Experts emphasize that children's body temperatures can rise much faster than adults, and they should never be left alone in a car on hot days.

[Karen DeRogatis/Florida Fire Rescue: "Even in mild temperatures that leaving a child in a vehicle is something that is detrimental as well. So it's not just on hot days. It's even in mild 72 degree weather days that we need to worry about it. "]

They also urged people to check the back seat for children before getting out of the car and to report any children left unattended in cars immediately.

This is KBS News, Hong Jin-ah.