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Japan quake death toll rises to 36 amid extreme heat warnings
Officials said a woman in her 70s died of heatstroke while sheltering in a car, raising concerns about heat and quake-related health risks.
An elderly woman who developed heatstroke while sheltering in a car was the latest death linked to a powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture last week, officials said Sunday. The death raised the quake toll to 36, according to the Associated Press via SCMP Economy.
The magnitude 7.1 quake hit Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. Authorities and experts had warned that high temperatures could increase the risk of heat-related illness for people forced to shelter.
Kumamoto authorities planned to distribute leaflets to people taking shelter in their cars, urging them to stay in cool places, take sufficient liquids, and manage exercise to reduce blood clotting risks. NHK reported the woman was found dead on Thursday in a car without petrol.