A five-year-old boy died after his mother left him in a car for more than six hours in southern Malaysia, a news report said on Thursday.

The mother was driving him to school but apparently forgot about him as he fell asleep on the back seat and she was in a rush to get to her work as a teacher at another school early on Tuesday, the New Straits times said.

The boy remained in the car in the parking lot as his mother went to work in Johor Baru town, about 295 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur.

During her lunch break she ran back to the car screaming her son's name but found him unconscious on the back seat, frothing at the mouth, the report said.

The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Witnesses told police they did not see anyone inside the car because its windows were tinted. The authorities have ruled out foul play. Sapa-dpa