US driver faces charges after child found dead in van

A day-care centre driver is facing charges in Florida state of the US after a three-year-old boy was found dead in a parked hot van, the state police have said.

Myles Hill was found on the floor at the back of the van parked at the Little Miracles Academy day-care centre in Orlando around 6.30 p.m. (local time) on Monday, Xinhua news agency cited the police as saying on Tuesday.

The police believed the boy had been in the vehicle since around 9 a.m. (local time) and his death was heat-related based on the evidence, Orlando Police chief John Mina said.

The high temperature was reportedly about 34 degrees Celsius in Orlando on Monday.

Charges are pending against the driver, who told the police she did not do a head count when dropping off the children, Mina said.

"This was an absolute tragedy that could have been prevented," he said.

The van is used by the day care centre to pick children up and drop them off at their homes.

--IANS

py/vt