Couple detained in France after 15-month-old twin girls die of dehydration

French police on Monday detained a couple after their 15-month-old twin daughters died of suspected dehydration, a source close to the investigation said.

The couple’s four other children, aged three, four, five and six, were hospitalised with dehydration but were not in life-threatening condition, the source said.

The parents alerted emergency services in the northern town of Beuvrages after discovering the twins in their beds, a police source said. Preliminary findings indicate that the children died of dehydration.

The town’s mayor, Ali Ben Yahia, said the community was “deeply shaken by the tragedy that has struck a family in Beuvrages”, in a message posted on Facebook.

“An investigation is currently underway to establish the circumstances of this tragedy,” he wrote, noting that the family was “well integrated into the life of our community”.

France saw a spike in deaths last week during a record-breaking heatwave, which disrupted daily life. Several small children died in locked cars during the extreme heat.