A 10-month-old baby girl has died in Majorca after her grandfather left her in the back of his car for eight hours in temperatures of up to 30C.
Police questioned the 56-year-old on suspicion of manslaughter, but released him without charges pending an ongoing court probe.
He told officers he forgot she was with him when he parked at 7am on Friday to go for a coffee, and only discovered his mistake when he returned at 3pm.
A passing doctor and paramedics at the scene tried to revive the child but could not save her life.
The first officers called to the scene were said to have broken down in tears after it was confirmed she had died.
Police confirmed on Saturday that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death was underway and a local judge would now decide on whether to press charges.
The girl was understood to have been asleep when her grandfather left her in the back of a Renault car in a street in Majorca’s second largest town, Manacor.
He suffered an anxiety attack after realising what he had done and was treated at Manacor Hospital before being questioned by police.
It is not immediately clear where he had gone after having a coffee.
An autopsy is due to take place.
Local reports said the child’s family is from Son Macia, a small village near Manacor which decided to suspend its local annual festival after learning of the tragedy.
An acquaintance of the girl’s grandfather told an island newspaper: “He’s a very good person. It’s a horrific tragedy. He’s devastated. He loved his granddaughter to bits.”
