WORLD
Over 10,000 rushed to hospitals for heatstroke for 2nd week
Tokyo, August 11, AZERTAC
A total of 11,219 people were rushed to hospitals across Japan with symptoms of heatstroke or heat exhaustion during the week to Sunday, topping 10,000 for the second week in a row, the government said Tuesday, according to Kyodo News.
The overall number decreased 776 from last week`s record-high 11,995, but 32 were declared dead upon arrival -the highest for this summer -, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a preliminary report.
Of the others, 331 people were in serious condition and required hospitalization for more than three weeks, and 3,861 were hospitalized for a shorter period of time due to milder conditions. Old people aged 65 and above comprised about half of the total.
The extreme summer heat continued nationwide during the week with temperatures in Tokyo going over 35 C on a daily basis. The agency is calling for adequate hydration to counter the continuing heat wave.
By prefecture, Tokyo topped the list with 971, followed by Osaka with 911 and Aichi in central Japan with 749.