Two children die from heat in locked car in Lakes State

RUMBEK – Two children died from heat exhaustion after becoming trapped in a disused car at a civil defense compound in Rumbek, Lakes State, police said on Friday.

The children, aged five and eight, were found dead in the vehicle on Thursday night after their parents reported them missing, said Major General Enock Majok Machar, acting police commissioner in Rumbek.

“They called the police, because through investigation, these children died in the broken car due to lack of oxygen,” General Enock told Sudans Post on Monday.

The children were identified as Mawet Buong, 8, and Majak Deng, 5.

According to police, one of the children, who had a mental health condition, opened the door of the abandoned car, and the two boys entered. The car’s windows were closed, and they were unable to escape.

“The windows of this vehicle were closed for a very long time, and it means that there was no one who saw these children by the time they entered into the vehicle,” Machar said.

A post-mortem examination at Rumbek State Hospital confirmed the children died from a lack of oxygen, he said.

Dr. Teran Madit Teran, medical director of Rumbek State Hospital, said the post-mortem showed minor bruises on the children’s bodies, but no signs of physical assault. He said the cause of death was likely heatstroke.

“Based on the eyewitnesses, the cause of their death could be heatstroke because the children were found in a closed vehicle and they had some hours in the vehicle closed,” Teran said. “This one can cause heatstroke and failure of internal organs.”

Daniel Laat Kon, a civil society activist, said the abandoned car belonged to the fire brigade and had been disused for about eight years.

He called the incident “very unfortunate” and urged parents to take greater care of their children, citing other recent incidents of child deaths in the area.

Police have detained two fire brigade officers for questioning.