The baby was left in the car park at NOVA University (Picture: Getty Images)

A 10-month-old baby has died after being left in a car in 26°C heat.

The baby’s father, reportedly a lecturer at a university near Lisbon in Portugal, is believed to have forgotten to drop her off at nursery before going to work.

He then went to work – and phoned the emergency services after finding her inside his car and realising his tragic error.

Despite efforts to revive her, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The father is said to have parked the family car close to the NOVA University campus creche on Tuesday, before going to his office at the university’s school of science and technology.

Investigators are reportedly working on the theory that the baby girl was asleep and her father simply forgot she was in the car.

The temperature in the area on Tuesday was around 26°C – which means temperatures inside the locked car could have been double that.

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.

Despite efforts to revive her, the 10-month-old baby was pronounced dead at the scene.