A three-year-old girl is in a critical condition after being found unconscious in a parked bus outside a childcare centre in Queensland.
An ambulance service spokesperson said paramedics responded to the incident in Gracemere, near Rockhampton, just before 3pm and the child was rushed to Rockhampton hospital.
A spokesperson from the hospital confirmed the girl remained in a critical condition on Wednesday evening. The child’s injuries were yet to be confirmed.
Queensland police said they were investigating the incident and there was no further information available at this time.
A relative of the child posted on social media that the family were “absolutely devastated” by what had occurred.
“She’s been admitted to the ICU … she was semiconscious when she was found … my whole family is absolutely devastated,” she wrote.
Local state MP Brittany Lauga said the incident “simply shouldn’t have happened” and confirmed there would be a full inquiry into what had occurred.
“Tonight is a little girl in Gracemere who is fighting for her life in hospital,” Lauga said.
“I know this little girl is very much in the thoughts of all of us tonight, wishing for a full recovery. My thoughts are with this little girl’s family and friends.
“I understand the Queensland police service is the lead agency and the Department of Education as the regulator for early childhood services in Queensland will continue to assist them as necessary. We don’t yet know the full circumstances of what has occurred but of course there will be a full inquiry.”
The childcare centre declined to comment.
A Gracemere local who wished to remain anonymous said the area had been swamped on Wednesday afternoon by police, detectives and an ambulance.
“I’d say [I saw] around five cop cars, detectives, an ambulance and both of the driveways were blocked off,” he said.
“I then saw the police driving one of the buses to collect the kids from school … I hope she pulls through, beautiful little girl.”
In February 2020 toddler Maliq Nicholas Floyd Namok-Malamoo, three, died of heat stress after being left in a parked bus outside a school in Cairns.
Last month, childcare worker Dionne Batrice Grills, 36, was found not guilty of manslaughter over the boy’s death.
Grills was on the bus that picked up the boy who was supposed to be taken to the Goodstart Early Learning centre at Edmonton.
However, the child was left on the bus when it was parked for the day outside Hambledon state school, about 1.7km from the childcare centre.
His body was found in the vehicle, still buckled to his seat, almost six hours later at 3.15pm.
Former centre director Michael Glenn Lewis pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to six years’ jail in 2021.
