15 people died, more than 8,000 people were hospitalized because of the heat in Japan

More than 8580 people were hospitalized within a week with symptoms of heat shock or sun exhaustion and 15 people died.

People use umbrellas to avoid the sun in Tokyo.(Photo: AFP / VNA)

The fire and disaster management agency (FDMA) on July 29 said that the number of statistics within a week until July 27 was double the 3,309 people a week earlier.

The agency said that of the total of 2,849 cases that require hospitalization, 193 stayed for more than 3 weeks. Elderly people over 65 years old are 3,813 people, accounting for 44%.

On July 26 alone, 2,489 people were hospitalized by ambulance after showing signs of heat shock, marking a record high in July since data began to be counted in 2008 after hot flashes spilled into many regions of Japan.

FDMA has issued a warning about electrolyte disorder due to the hot sun which is expected to continue in the coming time.