Two young boys die after being left in hot cars during Texas heatwave

Police investigate father who left one-year-old in black SUV to go to work

One-year-old found lifeless after his father left him to work in a restaurant (Google Maps)

Two young children have died after being left in hot cars in separate cases in Texas, US, as temperatures soared up to 36C (97F).

Police are investigating after a year-old baby boy died in a parked SUV in Galveston, south Texas, after being left for five hours as the mercury reached 33C.

The child’s father had left him in a black SUV at 11am on Saturday to go to his job in a restaurant. When he returned at 4pm, the boy was unresponsive, police said.

First responders could not save him, and he was later pronounced dead.

The parents have not been charged but an investigation is continuing, police said.

In a separate case, a four-year-old boy died the same day in southern Texas after being found the previous day unconscious in a car as temperatures reached 36C.

He was found in the car in Aubrey, 50 miles north of Dallas, and was airlifted in a critical condition to hospital, where he later died, according to The Dallas Morning News.

It’s not clear how long the child had been left in the car. The case is under investigation, according to the paper.

Officials say the number of children dying in hot cars is rising.

Last week a New Jersey woman was charged over the death of her 21-month-old daughter after she was left for more than two hours.

The National Safety Council, a public service organisation promoting health and safety in the US, says temperatures in vehicles can reach life-threatening levels even on mild or cloudy days.