Agencies Tokyo

Authorities in Japan and South Korea have urged people to take precautions to prevent heatstroke, as the region reels from record-breaking temperatures and pressure on hospitals. On Thursday, South Korea’s meteorological office said the country had experienced a record-breaking streak of “tropical nights” for 22 consecutive days this month.

A day earlier, Japan saw its hottest day on record, with the mercury reaching 41.2C, as hospitals across the country were inundated with people who had fallen ill as a result of the heatwave. Overnight temperatures in Seoul stayed above 25C for 22 consecutive days in July, meteorological officials said – the longest period since modern weather records were first kept in 1907.

The South Korean capital was also due to record its hottest July night in history on Wednesday, with the lowest temperature of the day at 29.3C. Media reports said the record could be broken again on Thursday.

The intense heat in Seoul is expected to continue, according to the meteorology office. “The warm air from the North Pacific High began affecting South Korea a bit earlier than usual,” Youn Ki-han, director of Seoul’s meteorology forecast division, told AFP.