France arrests parents after 15-month-old twins die of dehydration in heatwave

Discovery and arrest

On Monday around 1 p.m., parents in Beuvrages, near Valenciennes, called emergency services after finding their 15-month-old twin daughters unresponsive in their beds. The girls were pronounced dead, with initial findings pointing to dehydration caused by high temperatures in the room. The public prosecutor's office confirmed that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to determine the exact cause of death. The parents, aged 35 and 32, were taken into custody and face investigation for deprivation of care leading to the death of minors under 15. They have no prior criminal record, and the family was not known to child welfare services.

Family and community

The couple's four other children, aged 3 to 6, were also hospitalized with signs of dehydration but are not in life-threatening condition. The family had recently moved into a house in Beuvrages after living in shared accommodation, hoping to provide a better environment for their children. Mayor Ali Ben Yahia described the family as well-integrated, with the children attending local schools.

Our commune is deeply shocked. After living for a long time in collective housing, the family had recently moved into a house, wishing to offer their children a living environment conducive to their development.

Investigation underway

The house has been sealed off, with police tape indicating an offense of "deprivation of care leading to the death of minors under 15." A neighbor, Anissa, 19, told AFP that even with shutters open, the bedrooms in the similar brick houses remain very hot. The prosecutor's office said the autopsy would explore dehydration due to the high temperature recorded in the bedroom.

Heatwave toll

The deaths occurred during a severe heatwave that began on June 20 and saw temperatures reach up to 40°C in parts of Europe. France's health ministry reported over 1,000 excess deaths during the period, mostly among people over 65. Several other young children died in heat-related incidents: a three-year-old boy was found dead in a car in Saint-Gratien near Paris on Thursday, and two children aged two and four died in a car in Carpentras the previous Monday. An 18-month-old also died in Marseille after being found in a hot car.

Around 150 million people lived under extreme heat at times during the recent heatwave.

Official response

After days under red alert, northern France was downgraded to green on Monday as temperatures eased, though Météo France warned that heat could return by the weekend. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the national health emergency plan ORSAN would remain at the highest level due to a possible repeat of the heatwave.