Andhra Pradesh: Four children suffocate to death after getting locked in car

In a tragic incident in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, four children died of suffocation after they got locked inside a parked car. According to police, the children were playing near a house on Sunday afternoon when they climbed into an unattended car and got trapped.

Speaking to PTI, a police official said the car doors, which were initially unlocked, likely locked automatically once the children were inside. “We believe the car’s auto-lock system engaged once the kids got in, trapping them,” the official said.

Their bodies were discovered after 6 pm on Sunday, over six hours later, by a woman passing by, who noticed them lying motionless through the car’s mirror and immediately raised an alarm.

Police said the car had been parked two days earlier on the outskirts of the village due to lack of space near the owner’s home. No one was around when the children entered the vehicle.

“From what we understand, one boy lost consciousness first and died. The other three may have panicked, and the heat along with lack of oxygen likely caused their deaths,” police added.

A preliminary investigation revealed the car did not have a child lock. Officers suspect the children accidentally triggered the central locking system from inside.

The vehicle’s owner had returned to the village after attending his brother’s wedding in Visakhapatnam and parked the car in a narrow lane.

Police have seized the car and said it will be sent to the manufacturer for technical examination. A case has been registered under Section 304(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for causing death by negligence.

The children’s bodies were handed over to their families and later cremated. Two of the children were siblings, while the other two belonged to different families.

Inputs from PTI