▲ Heat haze rises from the heavily heated asphalt on Centum Jungang-ro in Haeundae-gu, Busan, where scorching heatwaves continue day after day, July 30.
As intense heat continues nationwide, the number of heat-related illness patients this year has surpassed 1,600.
On yesterday alone, 76 people visited emergency rooms, and two additional presumed deaths were reported, bringing the cumulative total to 12.
The two presumed deceased were a woman in her 90s in Gimje, Jeollabuk-do, and a man in her 80s in Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
Although the number of heat-related illness cases this year is lower than the 2,779 reported during the same period last year, the rate of increase is accelerating due to the recent prolonged heatwave.
Among all heat-related illness patients, 31.4% were aged 65 or older. By type of illness, heat exhaustion accounted for the largest share at 60.7%.
This was followed by heatstroke at 16.2%, heat cramps at 12.4%, and heat syncope at 9.5%.
By occupation, simple laborers accounted for the highest proportion at 21.3%.
Common locations for heat-related illnesses included outdoor workplaces at 26.9%, fields and paddies at 15.0%, and roadsides at 12.1%.
Heat-related illnesses are acute conditions that occur when the body's temperature regulation function reaches its limit due to prolonged exposure to heatwaves or high-temperature environments, and they include heat exhaustion, heat syncope, and heat cramps.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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