Heatstroke Kills Three in Japan, Thousands Hospitalised

W300

Sweltering temperatures across Japan have left at least three people dead while 3,000 others were rushed to hospital due to heatstroke, officials said Wednesday.

The mercury soared past 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) with high humidity as the country's month-long rainy season comes to an end, after a typhoon battered the country's south earlier this month.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said three people died from heatstroke last week while a total of 3,179 people were taken to hospital, spiking from 2,473 a week earlier.

Among the dead was a 76-year-old woman who was found collapsed inside a greenhouse in a coastal city east of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Nearly half the victims were over the age of 65.

In a message on its website, the agency urged people to drink water frequently "even if you don't feel thirsty".