3 people at Tokyo Big Sight taken to hospital due to apparent heatstroke

The Comic Market ( Comiket ) 96 event in Tokyo drew about 200,000 attendees on its third day on Sunday, August 11. The total attendance across the first three days is now at about 530,000. The final day of the event will be on Monday. Comiket does not have unique passes for visitors, so a person who attends all four days would be counted four times.

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on Sunday that 11 people at the event complained of poor health, appearing to have suffered from heatstroke. The Tokyo Fire and Disaster Management Agency took three of those individuals to a hospital via emergency transport. Officials reported no lives were in danger. The temperature on Sunday in Tokyo reached up to 35.5°C (96°F).

The event's first day saw about 160,000 attendees on Friday, and the second day saw about 170,000 attendees on Saturday.

The Comiket 94 event (held across only three days) attracted about 530,000 attendees in August 2018, and Comiket 92 (also held across three days) attracted about 500,000 attendees in August 2017. The third-day of Comiket 94 attracted 210,000 attendees, tying the all-time one-day attendance record.

Comiket 96 has expanded to a record four days, from August 9 to August 12. The event is also being held across two locations. The organizers of the event have implemented a policy for this event where attendees must purchase a wristband for 500 yen (about US$4.60) to be able to attend the event each day. The wristband color will change daily.

Comiket 97 will run from December 28 to December 31, 2019. Comiket 98 will be held during Golden Week on May 2-5 in 2020 instead of the usual August. The event's usual Tokyo Big Sight venue will serve as the main press center and international broadcasting center for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics from July 24 to August 9, 2020.

Image via Comiket 's Twitter account

Sources: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, Asahi Shimbun via Hachima Kikō