A heat wave covering central Japan has killed four people and sent more than 140 to hospitals from heat-related symptoms, local media reported Thursday, according to DPA. The temperature rose above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this summer on Wednesday and remained high for two days, resulting in the deaths of at least four people in the central provinces of Gunma and Saitama. In Gifu, the temperature hit the record high at 40.9 degrees for the first time since July 1933, when it marked 40.8 degrees. Nearly 40 people were taken to hospitals in Tokyo alone due to the heat, including five who showed serious symptoms, the Tokyo Fire Department said. More than 100 people have been treated at hospitals in Gunma. The Meteorological Agency urged residents in central Japan to avoid going out and to ventilate buildings. A 59-year-old man and a 88-year-old man were found dead separately at home in Saitama prefecture Thursday apparently from heat stroke, while a 67-year-old farmer fell in his field and later died at a hospital in Gunma prefecture. Six female high-school students collapsed while playing basketball inside a gymnasium Wednesday and were later taken to a hospital in Saitama. Five suffered heat stroke and one suffered hyperventilation syndrome. Japan last recorded above-40-degree temperatures in July 2004.
