Heat wave in Japan leaves 65 dead, 22,000 hospitalized
Tokyo, July 24 : Japan's weather agency has declared the heatwave sweeping the country a natural disaster, with at least 65 deaths recorded in the past week.
According to official figures released on Tuesday, more than 22,000 people were hospitalized, with temperatures soaring to historic levels, the BBC reported.
This is the highest number of people to have been given hospital care for a heat wave in 10 years when official records first started being kept.
High temperatures were recorded across the country since mid-July and Monday reached a historic maximum of 41.1ºCelsius in the city of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture.
Figures provided by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) said that of the 65 deaths, six were in Saitama.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that temperatures of 35ºCelsius or higher would continue until early August. "We are observing unprecedented levels of heat in some areas," agency spokesman Motoaki Takekawa said, adding that the heatwave was "a threat to life and we recognise it as a natural disaster".
In Japan's most populated prefecture of Tokyo alone, 1,979 people had been hospitalized because of the heat wave.
With less than half of Japan's public schools equipped with air conditioning, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the summer holidays could be extended to protect pupils.
The Japanese people have been advised to drink plenty of water, use air conditioning and rest often.
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
