Authorities in Austria say a 2-year-old boy has died of dehydration in the country's Styria region after he climbed into an overheated parked car without his family noticing and fell asleep in it.
The Austrian news agency APA reported Thursday that the boy, who climbed into a car parked at the family's farm on Monday, died at a children's hospital on Wednesday.
The country's authorities warned Thursday that children and animals can die quickly in closed cars without air conditioning even if the outside temperature is only at 26 degrees Celcius (79 F).
Europe is sweltering in a record-breaking heat wave with temperatures expected to rise to more than 40 C (104 F) in some places.
Hot, hotter, hottest! Paris, London and points across Europe are bracing for record temperatures Thursday as the second heat wave this summer bakes the continent.
Climate scientists warn this could become the new normal in many parts of the world. But temperate Europe where air conditioning is rare isn't equipped for the temperatures frying the region this week.
So tourists frolicked in fountains to seek relief and authorities and volunteers fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless hit hardest by the heat. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and French authorities urged travelers to stay home.
On Thursday, the Paris area could be as hot as 42 C (108 F) as a result of hot, dry air coming from northern Africa that's trapped between cold stormy systems.
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