Heat wave kills 17 in Japan

A total of 9,815 people were taken to hospital last week with symptoms of heatstroke, 17 of whom died, as hot weather continued to sweep through Japan, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday. The number of heatstroke sufferers was 3.3 times more than that of the week before, the agency said in a preliminary report. Of all the people taken to hospital, more than 40 percent were aged 65 or older. In Tokyo, 3,156 people were taken to hospital last week due to heatstroke. The mercury has reached above 35 degrees Celsius in more than 200 areas over the weekend, while the western city of Shimanto marked the highest temperature on record in Japan at 41 degree on Monday. Since late May, a total of 39,944 people were taken to hospital across Japan to be treated for heatstroke, including 52 fatalities.