An unidentified senior citizen fainted on the street after taking a long walk and changing several buses. He was rushed to the nearby Anzhen Hospital, but died there despite emergency treatment, said the newspaper.

Without giving the exact time of death of the old man, the newspaper quoted hospital sources as saying that he had died of a rare case of heatstroke.

Statistics from all major hospitals across Beijing showed that there had been a sharp increase in the incidence of heat-related illnesses in Beijing this summer due to abnormal humidity, described by many Beijingers as "sauna weather".

First-aid clinics said that they had received many patients suffering from a recurrence of chronic illnesses and high fever.

As a result of the persisting heat wave, the Chinese capital also witnessed a record power consumption, with city's power grid load surging to 8.14 million kw by 9 pm on Thursday.

Some 40 percent of the total power consumption in the last few days was caused by the wide use of air-conditioners and other heat-reducing devices, said Yang Chao, deputy general engineer of the Beijing Municipal Power Supply Bureau.

In all major subway stations of Beijing, subway staffs were busy distributing fans and anti-heatstroke medicines to passengers who were traveling in temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius.

Management sources said that it was difficult to air-condition the Beijing subway system, which was mainly built in the 1960s and 1970s. However, a number of new air-conditioned compartments would be introduced early next year.

According to city meteorologists, thunderstorms in the next three day are expected to cool temperatures.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2002)