Tokyo: An intense heat wave has killed at least 14 people over a three-day long weekend in Japan, media reported on Tuesday, as high temperatures hampered recovery efforts in flood-hit areas where more than 200 people died last week.

A man holds a child at a water fall to cool off at a park in Tokyo, Monday. Credit:AP

Temperatures on Monday, a national holiday, surged above 39 degrees Celsius in some inland areas and combined with high humidity to produce dangerous conditions, the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

Among the weekend's dead was a woman in her 90s who was found unconscious in a field. Thousands more were treated in hospitals for heat-related conditions.

Temperatures in parts of western Japan hit by deadly floods reached a high of 34.3 by midday on Tuesday, creating dangerous conditions for military personnel and volunteers clearing mud and debris.