Japanese authorities announced yesterday evening, Tuesday, that more than 120 people had died due to heat stroke in Tokyo, and the severe heat wave that hit the capital during last July.
According to the Medical Examination Center in the capital, Tokyo, the majority of the people who died were over the age of sixty, and most of them were found inside their homes, and despite the availability of air conditioners in these homes, it was noted that the victims did not turn them on.
Japanese health authorities and meteorologists continue to advise citizens to stay inside their homes or workplaces, and to consume large amounts of fluids to avoid dehydration, in addition to the necessity of using air conditioners to cope with high temperatures.
The Medical Examiner’s Office reported that this was the highest number of heatstroke deaths in Tokyo’s 23 prefectures in July since 127 deaths were recorded in the heat wave that swept the country in 2018.
In addition, more than 37,000 people were treated in hospitals fo
r heatstroke across Japan in July, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
The average temperature in July was 2.16 degrees Celsius higher than the average over the past 30 years, making it the hottest month since the Japan Meteorological Agency began recording data in 1898.
The Meteorological Agency had forecast even higher temperatures in August, with forecasts of 35 degrees Celsius or higher.
On Tuesday, heatstroke warnings were in effect in most parts of Tokyo and western Japan, with the temperature rising to around 34 degrees Celsius in central Tokyo, prompting many people to grab umbrellas or hand fans to cool off.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency