Toddler dies after climbing into washing machine while family was eating dinner

A three-year-old girl has died after getting inside a washing machine in her family home in Paris, according to reports.

The child was allegedly discovered in a property in northeast Paris on Thursday night but the prosecutor’s office refused to confirm whether she was found alive inside the washing machine.

French newspaper Le Parisien claims she was found inside the household appliance by her father, aged 48 and another family member at their home in Paris’ 20th arrondissement.

The washing machine had not been switched on, but the doors shut automatically according to the girl’s father.

Her family had just finished dinner when they began to worry about where the toddler had gone.

They searched their apartment and sought help from neighbours before the girl was found at 10.30pm in a critical condition.

She died in emergency care an hour later.

A source close to the investigation told the Parisian paper that the toddler’s death had been marked as death by “choking” but urged caution given the early stages of the probe.

There was no trace of violence and an autopsy will be carried out as the investigation continues.