Family Found Dead After Spending Night in Car With AC On

A family has been found dead after spending the night in a car running the AC to beat the heat wave in Mexico.

The family, an accountant, his wife and an eight-year-old girl, had climbed in the car to cool off after blackouts spread across the area, the Anacleto Canabal ranch in Tabasco, local news outlet El Heraldo de Tabasco reported.

Other residents nearby found the family lying dead in the car and informed authorities.

Mexico is experiencing a very severe heat wave. In 24 of the country's 32 states, temperatures are reaching up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sleeping in a car, which is likely what the family had intended to do while using the air conditioning, can be incredibly dangerous.

While the exact cause of death for the family hasn't been determined, officials suspect they may have died from breathing in the carbon monoxide released by the engine over a long period of time, El Heraldo de Tabasco reported. This is the leading cause of death of those who die while sleeping in cars.

It is also possible that once the family fell asleep, the engine switched off. This could have caused suffocation.

So far, the investigation shows the family was without electricity for eight days in severe temperatures. The car had been in the garage of the home at the time.

Although cars are usually fitted with their own air-conditioning unit, if this feature is turned off, cars can heat up incredibly quickly.

A car can reach 125 degrees in just a few minutes, according to nonprofit KidsandCars, which works to save children from vehicle-related deaths and injuries.

During periods of such intense heat, people's lives are at risk, particularly if they are vulnerable and are suffering from blackouts.

There have been at least four other deaths in the municipalities of Huimanguillo and Macuspana, which have been put down to heat stroke, the El Heraldo de Tabasco reported.

The Red Cross advises those in a heat wave to stay in air conditioned places as much as possible, and for those who do not have them, to have a "predesignated cool location."

They also advise people to wear lightweight clothing, to take cool showers and baths, and to limit any outdoor activity.

If going outside is unavoidable, the charity says it should be done earlier or later in the day, when temperatures are not as intense.