A construction worker covers his neck with a bag of ice in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Aug. 4, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Eighteen people have died of apparent heat-related illnesses in South Korea since late May, the disease control agency said Friday, as the sweltering heat continues to engulf the country.
The number of people hospitalized for such illnesses, including those who have died, came to 1,385 between May 20 and Wednesday, up 29 percent from the same period last year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
Around 29 percent of the patients were aged 65 and above, the data also showed, indicating that seniors are more susceptible to the heat.
Those aged 70 and above accounted for 13 of the reported deaths.
On the previous day, the government initiated Level 2 emergency operations at the disaster response headquarters in response to the nationwide scorching heat.
It marked the first time in history that the disaster headquarters has operated at Level 2 due to a heat wave under the three-tier system.
The four-level heat alert was also raised to the highest level of “red” Tuesday for the first time since 2019.
The searing heat wave has been gripping South Korea for over a week, with the highest temperatures climbing to 38 C on Friday.
(Yonhap)
