South Korea: Heat-related death toll rises to 21 amid serious heat wave

Seoul, Aug 5 (IANS) A total of 21 people have died from heat-related illnesses in South Korea so far this year as the country grapples with intense heat, health authorities said Wednesday.

A total of 2,441 patients have visited emergency rooms for heat-related conditions as of Tuesday since mid-May, when authorities launched the heat-related illness surveillance system, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Although fewer people suffered heat-related illnesses this year than during the same period last year, more people died this year, with the death toll surpassing last year’s total of 20, Yonhap News Agency reported.

One of the latest fatalities was a 60-year-old man, who was working outside on a farm in the county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, on Tuesday.

Among the patients reported this year, heat exhaustion accounted for 61.7 per cent, followed by heat stroke at 16.8 per cent and heat cramps at 11.5 per cent.

The state weather agency issued additional serious heat wave warnings for the greater Seoul area earlier in the day, placing 43 per cent of the region under the highest alert level.

Meanwhile, temperatures for July this year in South Korea were the third highest on record at an average of 26.8 C nationwide, the state weather agency said Wednesday.

The highest on record was 27.7 C in 1994, followed by 27.1 C last year, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), which tracks records using 1973 as the base year.

The number of tropical nights when the lowest temperature was 25 C or above came to an average of 9.7 days nationwide, setting a new record.

The previous mark had been 8.8 days in July 2024, followed by 8.5 days in July 1994, the KMA said.

Also in July this year, a heat wave advisory was issued on an average of 8.9 days nationwide, as the daily maximum temperature climbed to 33 C or higher.

The heat was most intense in the southeastern region, with the advisory triggered on 22 days in Daegu, 21 days in Gumi and 20 days in Miryang. By contrast, the central region saw far fewer days under heat wave advisories, with only two in Seoul.

Nationwide precipitation only came to 220.2 millimetres, or 72.3 per cent of the average July rainfall of 296.5 mm, according to the KMA.

Drought conditions were most severe in the southeastern South Gyeongsang Province, which received 68 mm of rainfall last month, or 21.9 per cent of the average July precipitation of 304.7 mm.

–IANS

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