A young boy has died after being trapped in a roasting car in Sydney.
New South Wales paramedics found the three-year-old unresponsive and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Cops said a man known to the youngster raised the alarm after returning to the vehicle.
The boy had been left there throughout the day, police said.
“Officers from Campbelltown City Police Area Command were told the child had been in the vehicle throughout the day,” said a NSW Police spokesperson.
“The vehicle’s owner, a man known to the child, raised the alarm when he returned to the car.
“A crime scene has been established and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is underway.
“The man has been taken to Campbelltown Police Station where he is assisting police.”
The tragedy happened during a scorching day in Sydney, as maximum temperatures reached above 30C.
Areas close to the scene recorded highs of 33.9C at around 4.51pm, Bureau of Meteorolgy data found.
Children's safety charity Kidsafe said that Australia sees more than 5,000 kids needing to be rescued from hot cars each year.
Most are babies and toddlers, they say.
“Leaving children unattended in a car – even for a short period of time – can be fatal,” information on Kidsafe’s website reads.
“Children are particularly at risk because they can lose fluid quickly, become dehydrated and suffer from heatstroke.”
In November, a toddler died of heatstroke in Japan after being left in a roasting minivan for nearly a day when her dad forgot to drop her off at school.
A toddler died of heatstroke after she was left roasting inside a minivan for nearly a day when her dad forgot to drop her off at school.
The two-year-old victim - who has been identified as Seira Fuchigami - was left inside the vehicle in Japan, after her dad, 33, forgot to leave her at nursery in the morning.
The unnamed dad told police in Osaka Prefecture that he had left home at about 8am on Saturday morning (November 12), with his three children.
And after a long day, the dad drove back to the school, in the city of Kishiwada, at around 5pm to pick his children up.
However, while the dad was was informed by the staff that little Seira had been absent from school all day, he did not realise his mistake until it was too late.
