Heat wave in Japan: 14 deaths and thousands of people treated for heat stroke as temperatures reach 40 degrees

At least 14 people died and thousands were treated at the hospital after an intense heatwave that swept Japan over the weekend.

Temperatures reached nearly 40 ° C in some interior areas. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the conditions are dangerous.

One of the victims of high temperatures was a woman in her 60s who had been found unconscious in a field, according to local media reports.

Six people died on Saturday, two people died on Sunday and five died Monday. About 2,000 were treated for heat stroke, Kyodo News reported.

The incessant heat comes just a week after 200 people were killed in deadly floods in western Japan

Recovery efforts were hampered over the weekend as military personnel and the volunteers struggled to continue. A pool in the amusement park Toshimaen Tokyo; the Japanese capital recorded a high of 36.3 C on 16 July (APE)

"It's really hot, all we can do is keep drinking water," said a man in Okayama on NHK television

. landlocked areas such as Gifu Prefecture, where it reached 39.3C in the city of Ibigawa in the nation.The capital Tokyo recorded a maximum of 34C on Monday.

Temperatures of 35 ° C or more – known in Japanese as "intensely hot days" – were recorded Sunday in 200 places in Japan, which is unusual in July.

Last year, 48 people died of heat between May and September, with 31 deaths in July, according to the Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency

The Heatwave this year was due to the superposition of two high-pressure systems over much of Japan and is expected to continue for the rest of the week. , said the JMA.

Additional report from Reuters