In the first case, passers-by discovered a 5-week-old baby boy locked in the passenger side of a dark-coloured car at the Linz railway station, as temperatures exceeded 30 degrees, according to a report in Heute.  

 

The boy's mother (30) from Styria had gone to visit the toilet in the station, and according to Police, was away from the car for at least 20 minutes.

 

Police officer Helmut M. (30) broke in the rear window of the vehicle, to rescue the screaming child from the baking car.  Together with his colleague Joachim W. (45), they handed over the infant to rescue services, who took him to hospital for evaluation and treatment.

 

The mother soon after returned, and was charged with negligence and endangering a child.

 

According to ÖAMTC spokesman Thomas Stix, even ten minutes is dangerous for a child in a car in these conditions.  

 

“With 30 degrees external temperature, the inside can quickly rise to 55 or 60 degrees”, he said.

 

Trouble in Wels

 

A second incident occurred in Wels, where a baby was playing with the key fob, and accidentally locked himself inside the vehicle.  The mother immediately called the fire brigade, who were able to free the child from the BMW vehicle.

 

It's not only babies who are in danger, as a case last week showed with a dog trapped in a hot car.

 

Heatwave

 

Thursday was the hottest day of the year so far, with many places in the lowlands of Austria exceeding 30 degrees.  The highest temperature was in Imst in Tyrol, with 35.2 degrees, followed by Hohenau in Lower Austria with 33.5 degrees, and Schärding in Upper Austria with 32.8 degrees.