Japan's unprecedented heat wave kills 65 people in a week

Children play in a fountain in a Tokyo park, while a heat wave seizes Japan, July 20, 2018.
A heat wave in Japan that has killed at least 65 people revives concerns about the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. will take place during the notoriously suffocating summer of the country. AFP

TOKYO, Japan – Japan's "unprecedented" heat wave killed at least 65 people in a week, government officials said on Tuesday as the weather agency described the record time as "a natural disaster" . [19659003Danslasemaineàdimancheaumoins65personnessontmortesd'uncoupdechaleuralorsque22647personnesontétéhospitaliséesadéclarél'agencedegestiondesincendiesetdésastresdansuncommuniqué[19659003]. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday that 80 people had died of heat since the beginning of July and more than 35,000 were killed.

Among those who were killed, there was a six-year-old schoolboy who had fainted on returning from a school trip

"While a record heat wave continues to cover the country , urgent measures Yoshihide Suga, spokesman for the government, told reporters that the government would provide funds for all schools to be equipped with air conditioners by the summer of this year.

Less half of Japan's public schools The government also plans to extend the summer school holidays this year as the heat wave goes on.

On Monday, the city of Kumagaya in Saitama outside of Tokyo establish a new national heat record, with temperatures reaching 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit).

And temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius were recorded for the first time in the metropolitan area Tokyo, where the government promotes Uchimizu. on the ground, as part of a summer heat awareness campaign.

It was slightly cooler on Tuesday, but temperatures stayed well above normal "We are seeing unprecedented heat levels in some areas," said Motoaki Takekawa, head of the meteorological agency. Monday night

"The heat wave" is fatal, and we recognize it as a "The agency has warned that much of the country would continue to bake at temperatures of 35 degrees or more. more until the beginning of August.

Officials urged people to use air conditioning, drink enough water and rest

The Japanese summers are notoriously hot and humid and some Hundreds of people die every year from heat stroke, especially the elderly in the aging society of the country.

The heat wave follows the record rains that devastated western and central Japan and the glissemen ts of land that killed more than 220 people.

And many people in the affected areas still live in damaged houses or shelters and are working on repairs outside, putting them at great risk. 03] Record time has revived concerns over the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which will take place in two years in July and August.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike promised this week that heat would receive the same priority as "It's also important because the goal is also to protect people's lives," she said. told reporters, comparing Japan's summer to 'live in a sauna'. / cbb

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