Four-year-old boy found dead trapped inside tumble dryer in Spain
Guardia Civil police officers believe it was a tragic accident after taking statements and inspecting the scene at the child's home in Magaluf
A. Santos / EP
Monday, 4 March 2024, 10:11
Spain's Guardia Civil has determined that the death of a four-year-old boy last Thursday at his home in Magaluf, when he got trapped inside a tumble dryer, was an accident and, therefore, there are no charges to be answered.
This was the conclusion reached by the police force after statements were taken on Thursday and on Friday a technical inspection of the scene was carried out in order to determine the circumstances that led to the death of the minor.
The accident happened last Thursday at 11.30 am. Apparently, the child had climbed into the tumble dryer and became trapped inside. After searching the house, the parents found the child suffocated inside the domestic appliance.
Other children have been killed in accidents involving household appliances
Surprising as it may sound, this is not the first time a child has died after becoming trapped in a household appliance. Two years ago, an eight-year-old boy was trapped in a washing machine while playing hide-and-seek. The events took place in Texas, USA. He was with his grandparents visiting a relative. They all began to play with the boy. However, after a long time without finding him, they started to worry. Finally, they discovered that he had been trapped between the washing machine and the dryer. Although they tried to revive him, they could do nothing to save him.
In the same county, but six years ago, in 2018, a 10-year-old boy was found dead inside a tumble dryer. According to the forensic autopsy, the cause of death was electrocution while playing hide-and-seek with his nine-year-old brother. It was the latter who alerted his parents to what had happened.
Also in the United States, in Oklahoma, a four-year-old girl died after being electrocuted by the clothes dryer in her home. She apparently reached behind the dryer to try to pull out a puppy that was caught in it, then touched an unprotected spot on the electrical cord, which caused her to suffer an electric shock. Although the family tried to revive her, once she was taken to hospital they were unable to do anything to save her.
