Toddler dies after being left in nursery minibus in Almada – Portugal Resident
An 18-month-old girl has died after being left inside a nursery minibus in Almada, south of Lisbon, in what police believe was a tragic oversight.
The child was found unconscious inside the vehicle on Avenida do Cristo Rei in Almada on Thursday afternoon (July 23). Emergency services were alerted at 3.53pm to a child in cardiac arrest, according to the PSP police.
According to SIC Notícias, the girl had been collected from home by the nursery’s transport service in the morning but was allegedly forgotten inside the vehicle for several hours. The minibus was reportedly not used again during the day, meaning the child remained inside until she was discovered.
Firefighters from Cacilhas, an INEM emergency medical team (VMER) and PSP officers were dispatched to the scene. By the time emergency crews arrived, the vehicle’s window had already been broken in an attempt to reach the child.
Rescuers immediately began advanced life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but were unable to save her. INEM later confirmed that the child was pronounced dead at the scene despite extensive resuscitation efforts.
CNN Portugal, citing the PSP, confirmed the victim was an 18-month-old girl and said the case is being treated as a suspected incident in which a child was inadvertently left inside a school transport vehicle.
The Polícia Judiciária (PJ) has taken over the investigation and will determine the circumstances that led to the child’s death.
INEM also deployed its Mobile Unit for Psychological Emergency Intervention (UMIPE) to provide support at the scene.
