A freak and tragic incident caused the painful death of three little girls who died after being trapped in a car at Mellacheruvu in Nalgonda district on Wednesday evening. They apparently died of suffocation after being locked inside for six hours in the scorching heat, even as their parents were searching for them.
The Opel Corsa car belonged to Mr B. Narasimha Rao, a farmer, who had parked it in front of his residence in Mill Bazaar. According to K. Srinivasa Rao, a relative of one of the girls, the three girls were playing outside at around 11 am when they saw the car and got into it. The doors got locked automatically when they got in. Though they must have made attempts to attract the attention of passers-by, it was difficult to see inside as the glass was tinted.
Around 5pm Mr Narasimha Rao’s son opened the car to take out his toy and saw the girls and raised the alarm. Doctors said that the girls died of asphyxia (suffocation) and internal burns. When their bodies were retrieved from the car, the skin was peeling off.
Kids not safe in locked-up cars
Frequent incidents of children being locked inside cars and dying due to suffocation and the intense heat are being reported from across the country. They should serve as warning bells for parents and car owners.
Experts say that the temperature in a closed car can soar very fast. T. Suresh, a physics expert, said, “If the outside temperature is 35°C, the temperature inside a locked car could rise to 50°C in 10 minutes and to 65°C in the next 10 minutes. This could be fatal.” Kids are more vulnerable to such incidents. Their brain and body tissues can get damaged. Even in mild weather, the temperature inside a locked car can soar to extreme levels.
Dr S. Vijay Mohan, consultant general physician at Care Hospital, said, “It’s difficult for adults to sit inside a closed car for five minutes and they start feeling suffocated. For children, even a minute or two can be fatal. The water content in them is less and they easily get dehydrated and can suffer sunstroke. They can also die due to asphyxia or chocking. Even if the parents leave the children in the car, make sure that the windows aren’t rolled up completely. There should be enough room for outside air to flow in. Moreover, kids should not be left alone for more than a few minutes.
Shilpi Khandelwal, the mother of a three-year-old, said “Even if I step out of the car for two minutes, I keep the windows half open when my kid is inside. I also don’t switch on the A/C and lock the car with my child inside.”