TWO one-year-old twin sisters have been found dead in their beds from dehydration as a heatwave sweeps across France.
The baby girls were just 15-months-old when their lifeless bodies were discovered in a house in the village of Beuvrages, northern France.
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It comes as France recorded 1,000 more deaths than usual last week as the country battled the hottest temperatures of the European heatwave.
Four other children from the same house on Rue Léonard-de-Vinci were also hospitalised.
They were aged three, four, five and six.
Police and ambulances raced to the scene of the tragedy after the parents called them at 1:30pm on Monday.
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The mother had put her daughters to bed at 7pm on Sunday night – and did not check in on them until late on Monday morning, reported local paper La Voix du Nord.
The little girls are believed to have died from dehydration – and the couple’s four other children have also been hospitalised from lack of water.
One child had to be airlifted from the home and is now in critical condition.
The parents were arrested at 3:30pm and are in custody at Valenciennes police station.
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Signs blocking off the house from trespassers read: “Deprivation of care or food for a minor under 15 years of age”.
The quiet village has been rocked by the tragedy, with neighbours expressing shock and disbelief.
“I’ve lived here for fifteen years, we’ve never had anything like this on our street,” said one horrified resident.
“These streets are like a little haven. When we need something, we ask our neighbours,” added a local father.
Residents told RTL News that the family had moved into the area about two months ago and kept a low profile.
The parents were not known to social services.
“The father works on weekends”, one neighbour said. “Their children play with ours”.
The autopsy of the little girls will be performed on Tuesday.
The leading theory will be “the possibility of dehydration due to the high temperature recorded in the room”, according to a statement from the public prosecutor of Valenciennes.
Brothers Kassim Benouali, 4, and Sadek, 2, were among the first fatalities in France during the heatwave after becoming locked inside a car in 40C heat after their mum allegedly forgot them as she went shopping.
The two children suffered cardiac arrests from lack of oxygen.
“The causes of death are still under investigation, but the heatwave is the leading theory,” said Carpentras prosecutor Hélène Mourges.
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Elderly people have also been dying in greater numbers than usual due to the soaring temperatures.
And at least 13 people drowned across the nation after jumping into cold bodies of water to cool down.
