A baby was left in the car outside the campus (stock image of one of the university's entrances) (Image: Google)

       A 10-month-old baby girl died on Wednesday after she was "forgotten" for seven hours in a parked car on a university campus near Lisbon, Portugal.

       The baby's father, a lecturer and departmental head at a university in Almada, is believed to have forgotten to drop her off at the university's creche before going straight to his office — leaving her in the parked car at 8am, reported local media.

       Investigators are working on the theory that the baby, named Madalena, was asleep while temperatures outside reached 26C with the inside of the car likely soaring to more than 50C.

       By 3.30pm, more than seven hours later, the head of the lecturer returned to his car to find his daughter unconscious in the back seat.

       READ MORE Life on the tiny Portuguese island with the shortest airport runway

       The horrified dad called for emergency services but efforts to save her failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

       The unnamed father is said to have parked the family SEAT Ateca car by the campus creche around 8am on Tuesday before going to work at his office in the Nova School of Science and Technology, a faculty of the NOVA University Lisbon located at the Caparica Campus in Almada a half-hour drive south of the Portuguese capital.

       The girl’s parents, including her mother who reportedly reached the scene around the time emergency responders arrived, have been offered psychological support.

       Autopsy results are yet to be released and are not expected to be made public.

       The Policia Judiciaria police force in the city of Setubal near Almada is conducting an ongoing investigation.

       Don't miss...

       Luis Rubiales details gruesome side effects of mother's hunger strike [LATEST]

       The ghost town loved by dark tourists a short drive from beautiful European city [INSIGHT]

       Gibraltar gets revenge on EU and Spain over daft post-Brexit rules [INSIGHT]

       Prosecutors announced yesterday (September 13) that a formal investigation had been launched.

       It follows a similar incident in July when a three-year-old boy died in the municipality of O Porrino, near Pontevedra in Spain's north-west Galician region.

       The boy's mum "forgot" he was in the back seat and left him unattended for seven hours in 80C heat to go to work.

       The youngster is said to have been alone in the vehicle for six hours before anyone realised.

       Trending

       SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

       We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

       SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

       We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

       SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

       READ MORE Unbelievable moment red wine ‘floods’ streets after two tanks exploded at winery

       In August 2018 a 10-month-old baby girl died in the Majorcan town of Manacor after her grandfather left her in the back of his car for eight hours in temperatures of up to 30C (86 degrees Fahrenheit) after forgetting to leave her at a nursery school.

       He found her dead when he returned to the vehicle after running errands several hours later.

       The unnamed man later accepted a year’s prison sentence in March 2020.

       READ MORE Unbelievable moment red wine ‘floods’ streets after two tanks exploded at winery

       In August 2018 a 10-month-old baby girl died in the Majorcan town of Manacor after her grandfather left her in the back of his car for eight hours in temperatures of up to 30C (86 degrees Fahrenheit) after forgetting to leave her at a nursery school.

       He found her dead when he returned to the vehicle after running errands several hours later.

       The unnamed man later accepted a year’s prison sentence in March 2020.

       Related articles 'I visited the hottest city in Europe and became nocturnal to survive' Beach horror in Spain as tourists find human leg and hip on sand The beautiful holiday islands popular with Brits hit by 52 earthquakes in 6 days Must see Spanish island so small that only 120 tourists can visit at a time ‘Beautiful’ town is one of Lanzarote’s best hidden gems