12,804 Heatstroke Sufferers Taken to Hospital in Japan Last Week

Tokyo, Aug. 18 (Jiji Press)--A total of 12,804 people were taken to hospital by ambulance due to symptoms of heatstroke in Japan Aug. 10 through Sunday, the highest weekly level this year, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.

The figure nearly doubled from the previous week’s 6,664, apparently as extreme heat continued hitting across the country, with many places seeing temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius or higher.

Of the total, 30 people died, the agency said. Those aged 65 or older accounted for 61.8 pct of the people taken to hospital due to suspected heatstroke.

The agency said that 510 people were in serious condition requiring at least three weeks of hospitalization.

By prefecture, Tokyo had the largest number of suspected heatstroke sufferers taken to hospital, with 1,574, followed by Saitama, with 997, and Kanagawa, with 920.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]