KOR
▲ A citizen quenches their thirst in front of a market stall at Deokpung Traditional Market in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, on August 4, when a severe heatwave warning was issued.
While the number of heat-related illness patients dropped by nearly 9% last summer compared to the previous year despite "40-degree heatwaves," the number of deaths increased by 24%, data showed.
Notably, the increase in fatalities came entirely from elderly people aged 80 and older.
This year recorded the third-highest number of patients and the second-highest number of deaths on record.
According to an analysis of the results from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's 2026 emergency room surveillance system for heat-related illnesses, a total of 4,066 patients visited some 520 emergency rooms nationwide between May 15 and September 30.
The number of patients this year was the third highest on record, following 2018 and last year.
In the case of deaths, it marked the second-highest toll following 2018.
While patients this year decreased by 8.8% from the previous year, estimated deaths attributed to heat-related illnesses rose by 24.1% from 29 deaths last year.
Among the 36 estimated heat-related deaths this year, 17 were aged 80 and older, accounting for nearly half.
Deaths among those aged 80 and older surged by 70% from 10 the previous year.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
