BY: JOSE ROBERT INVENTOR
A two-year-old girl was rescued after being trapped inside a locked car in Barangay 7B on Monday, as temperatures soared to a 35°C heat index.
Police officers initially attempted to open the car window using tape, but when the child turned off the air conditioning, they were forced to break the glass.
According to Pat. Jayvee Vite of the Laoag City Police, the toddler’s guardian briefly left the vehicle to pick up another child from school.
However, the child inside accidentally pressed some buttons, causing the doors to lock.
“We asked the guardian if the air conditioning was on. It was, so we tried using tape on the window first. But when the aircon was turned off, we only had two minutes before we had to break the glass,” Vite explained.
The rescue operation took 45 minutes, but the child was safely retrieved before experiencing suffocation or heat-related illness.
Authorities reminded parents and guardians never to leave children unattended inside vehicles, even for a short time. “For safety reasons, always bring them with you or ensure a responsible adult stays with them,” Vite added.
