Crime scene barricade tape. (Courtesy)

Police in Yambio have arrested a man for the death of two children trapped for five hours inside his car on Christmas Eve, according to the commissioner of Yambio.

Mbiko Barakat told Eye Radio that the car owner he identified only as Joseph, reportedly parked his car at home and left for prayers without locking the doors.

While away, his young son and another of his neighbours entered the car and got trapped for five hours, leading to their deaths.

One died inside the car and the other succumbed shortly after he was admitted to a medical facility.

The county official says the man has been put behind police bars.

“We have one Christian, a believer of Jehovah’s Witness religion and he is called Joseph, he came from the market and he did not lock his car and then one of the young kids managed to enter in, and then one of the neighbouring ones came also and entered,” Mbiko said.

“All the family went somewhere for the prayer and people came and discovered them almost at 7 PM,” he said.

“It was more than five hours because he came at around three and the kids were found a few minutes past 7 PM when one was already found dead after reaching the dispensary, another one also passed on, two of them passed on and the owner of the car is in the custody”.

Commissioner Barakat described the incident as unusual and called on parents to be vigilant when dealing with children.