The death toll has reached 79 in Tokyo due to record high temperatures.
Temperatures in central Japan equalled the national record on Monday, as the country sweltered under a scorching summer heat wave.
The temperature rose to 41.1 degrees Celsius (105.98 degrees Fahrenheit) in the central city of Hamamatsu, in Shizuoka prefecture on Monday, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency. This matched the highest temperature that had recorded in the country previously, in Kumagaya, a city near Tokyo, in July 2018.
Japan has been enduring an intense heatwave since the middle of last week, with multiple cities and prefectures nearing 40°C (104°F) for several consecutive days.
According to media reports, Tokyo’s Social Wealth and Public Health Bureau has updated its data relating to deaths caused by high tempratures.
It confirms that 79 people (70 aged over 65) have lost their lives due to heat-stroke since early August in Tokyo.
According to Tokyo’s Fire Administration, since the beginning of August, 2,576 people have already exhibited signs of heat-stroke and have had to be admitted to hospital.