TOKYO, July 14 (UPI) -- Three people are dead and more than 800 hospitalized after a heat wave took over various parts of Japan on Tuesday.
Nearly a week has passed since temperatures surpassed 95 degrees Fahrenheit, The Japan Times reported. A 92-year-old man was found collapsed in a field on Tuesday afternoon, in a town in western Tokyo and later confirmed dead at a hospital.
Between July 6 and July 12, more than 3,000 people were taken to hospitals to be treated for heat exhaustion, Japan Today reported. On Tuesday the Japan Meteorological Agency reported average temperatures in Japan soared from 86 to 95 degrees at 550 of its 928 monitoring locations.
Some areas experienced hotter weather than others.
Tatebayashi in Gunma Prefecture reported the country's highest temperature at 102.74 degrees, followed by 100 degrees in Fukushima City, and 97.34 degrees in Kyoto.
Four schoolchildren were hospitalized after falling ill while playing soccer at a Tokyo elementary school but Japan press reported they were not in serious condition.
Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency official told the public to frequently drink water to combat the heat wave, and to avoid dehydration.
Last week's hospitalization rate was six times greater than the number of people who fell ill in the previous week.
Close to half the people who were hospitalized were aged 65 or older.
