3 year old dies after being left in kindergarten van all day in Japan

A three year old girl died after being left inside a kindergarten van for around five hours on Monday in Makinohara, Shizuoka prefecture, in Japan. The young girl, China Kawamoto, is suspected to have died of heatstroke.

Yesterday, police searched Kawasaki Kindergarten and the director and principal’s homes, who were arrested under suspicion of professional negligence causing death.

The van arrived at the kindergarten at 8.50am on Monday and staff found Kawamoto unconscious inside the van at 2.10pm. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The school principal, 73 year old Tatsuyoshi Masuda, was inside the van that morning with five other children and another elderly staff member. The principal drove the bus that day because the usual driver took a day off.

Police say the kindergarten staff didn’t check the van properly and locked it with Kawamoto still inside. She was not found until staff opened the van to take the children home at the end of the day.

In July 2021, a five year old boy died of heatstroke after he was locked in a school bus for nine hours in Nakama, Fukuoka Prefecture.

Last week, a seven year old girl died inside a school van after she too was forgotten by staff at Ploenchit Wittaya School in Chon Buri province in Thailand. Her autopsy revealed that she died from overheating.

SOURCE: Japan Times