A heartbreaking incident in Tsuyama, Japan, has left a community in mourning as a two-year-old boy lost his life due to extreme heat after being left in a car for over nine hours by his grandmother.

According to local media reports, Setsuko Shibata, a 53-year-old grandmother, tragically forgot that her grandson, Haruto Mese, was inside the vehicle. This lapse resulted in a devastating loss, and Shibata has subsequently been arrested on suspicion of negligence, which is believed to have led to the child's untimely death.

  
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The Okayama prefectural police have revealed that Shibata's assistant, who was responsible for the elderly caregiver's duties, admitted to leaving young Haruto Mese in the car on a scorching Saturday while she headed to work.

The ordeal unfolded between 8:15 AM and 5:40 PM, as reported by Asahi Shimbun. It was during these hours that the young boy remained unattended in the vehicle, despite Shibata's initial intention to drop him off at a daycare center.

The car was parked at the hospital where Shibata was employed, as reported by The Yomiuri Shimbun. On the day of the tragic incident, the Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a temperature of 31.7 degrees Celsius in the city.

  
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The initial plan for Shibata was to collect her grandson, Haruto Mese, from her daughter's residence in the same neighborhood and then take him to the daycare center. However, she deviated from this plan and proceeded directly to her workplace at the hospital after picking up the child from her daughter's home, as local media has reported.

It was only after completing her shift that Shibata realized the heart-wrenching mistake of leaving her grandson in the back seat of the car.

Upon discovering the child, Shibata found him in a critical condition. Unfortunately, Haruto Mese displayed no reaction, and The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that he was found slumped in a child seat with a seatbelt fastened.

Desperate for help, Shibata immediately contacted a coworker for emergency assistance. Despite their efforts, Haruto Mese was later confirmed to have tragically lost his life.

  
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Police suspect that the boy's death was due to heatstroke, as he showed no external injuries, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun.

This heartrending incident serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles during hot weather, and it has left the community in deep sorrow. In an unfortunate twist, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported that September marked the hottest summer in the country's history since record-keeping began in 1898.

Source: The Straits Times