A teenager died of heatstroke after spending too long in the sun waiting for free wi-fi so she could use Facebook.
The 14-year-old girl reportedly spent all day in the blistering heat before she died.
Like many teens, using Facebook was a big part of Andreea’s life.But the girl, from a poor Romanian Gypsy family, died after sitting for hours under the sun to use a free computer and internet access offered by the village hall.
Andreea, from Domnesti in southern Romania, who had a pre-existing condition, collapsed on Wednesday after she suddenly started feeling unwell, and later died.
Although not the hottest day of the year so far in Romania, temperatures were as high as 31°C in the shade.
As her poor family could not afford an internet connection, the girl waited to use the free wi-fi offered by the hall so she could connect to Facebook.Others who were waiting said that she had been sick and then fainted.
Medics who arrived quickly said that she had suffered cardiac arrest. Doctors tried to resuscitate her but failed.
Her uncle who was with her at the time, told local TV: “She used to go in front of the town hall to get free wireless. She used it for Facebook like most kids do.
“She told me she felt a pain in her chest, so I gave her water, but she was sick. She recovered for a bit then she clenched her mouth and collapsed.”
Paul Patuleanu, her father, said: “I was told it was because of the heat. She spent a lot of time under the sun that day waiting.”
Doctor Elena Radulescu, who was one of the medics on the team, said: “She had no pulse or blood pressure when we started resuscitation.”
According to coroners, the girl had a pre-existing lung and heart condition that had left her weakened and the heatstroke had then been enough to kill her.
Because the girl did not have any ID, relatives cannot bury her until her identity is clarified.
There are estimated to be thousands of children in Romania born to poor, mostly Gypsy, families who were never officially registered and therefore do not officially exist.
