Japan quake victim dies of heatstroke while sheltering in car amid ‘extreme heat’ warning
An elderly woman who developed heatstroke while taking shelter in a car was the latest fatality from a powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto last week, officials said on Sunday as concerns over heat-related illnesses grow in an area that is also suffering extreme temperatures. The woman in her seventies with heatstroke was found in a car, Kumamoto officials…
A 70-year-old woman died of heatstroke while hiding in her car during an extreme heat warning following a powerful earthquake in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture. The magnitude 7.1 quake struck the southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday. The prefecture is experiencing a shortage of fresh water, affecting nearly 70,000 homes, and fuel shortages amid soaring temperatures.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported temperatures in Kumamoto city reached 36.6 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday and could rise further on Sunday. Over 9,000 people are sheltering in crowded locations like community centers, school gyms, and classrooms, many without air conditioning. Authorities raised the death toll from the earthquake to 36 as they distributed leaflets urging car shelter users to seek cooler areas, drink plenty of liquids, and exercise to avoid blood clots.
The government is providing water, food, portable toilets, air conditioners, and barriers to improve shelter conditions. A massive search-and-rescue operation ended at the Aeon Mall in Kashima after five people were rescued and the bodies of seven others were recovered. A chimney collapse at a factory in Yatsushiro city trapped 11 employees, with nine confirmed dead, and two others rescued. The nationwide death toll from the disaster is unknown, and rescue efforts continue.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
