Residents walk along Cheonggyecheon in Seoul carrying parasols on Sunday, as a heat advisory was in effect across the city. [Yonhap]
Residents walk along Cheonggyecheon in Seoul carrying parasols on Sunday, as a heat advisory was in effect across the city. [Yonhap]

Heat-related casualties were reported in multiple regions across South Korea on Sunday as a severe heat wave gripped the country.

Suspected heat illness cases were reported in Haenam-gun and Yeosu in South Jeolla Province, as well as in Gwangju.

At around 4:26 p.m. Sunday, a person in their 60s who had been exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period was found in front of a residence in Baekho-ri, Okcheon-myeon, Haenam-gun, showing signs of hyperthermia and was taken to a hospital. On Saturday at around 9:26 a.m., a person in their 50s working on fishing nets in waters near Sora-myeon in Yeosu also showed symptoms of hyperthermia and was transported to a hospital. Both are in stable condition.

There were also fatalities. On Saturday at around 3:15 p.m., a Thai national in her 30s, identified only by the surname A, was found collapsed on a field path in Hwangsan-myeon, Haenam-gun. Firefighters rushed her to a nearby hospital, but she did not survive.

The high temperature in Haenam on Saturday reached 33.7 degrees Celsius, with a heat wave warning in effect. A is believed to have complained of dizziness while working in the field and was on her way home to rest when she collapsed.

Also on Sunday at around 4:04 p.m., a 100-year-old woman identified only as B was found dead in a field in Bongdong-eup, Wanju-gun, North Jeolla Province. When emergency responders arrived following a report from her family, she was already in cardiac arrest.

Fire department officials said B's body temperature at the time of discovery was 42.2 degrees Celsius. Police are investigating the exact cause of death. The high temperature in Wanju-gun, where a heat advisory was in effect, reached 34.7 degrees Celsius that day.


ehkim@heraldcorp.com