Heat wave in Japan kills 8, hospitalizes 4100

Eight people died and about 4,100 people were taken to hospital by ambulance due to symptoms of heatstroke in the week through August 10 in Japan, down 24 percent from the week before, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.
Of all the people taken to hospital, more than half were aged 65 or older, the agency said in a preliminary report. In Tokyo alone, where the mercury topped 36 degrees Celsius, 473 people were taken to hospital last week after collapsing or showing what appeared to be heatstroke-related symptoms.
Typhoon Halong, which made landfall in western Japan on Sunday, brought down the mercury last week, but temperatures still reached above 38 degrees Celsius in some areas. The agency warned that temperature would rise again, urging the people to take continued caution against heatstroke.