Killer heatwave claims 16 lives in South Korea

At least 16 people in South Korea have died as a result of heat-related illnesses, with the country facing one of its longest and most intense heatwaves on record, health officials have confirmed.

Since mid-May, nearly 2,900 individuals have sought emergency treatment for conditions caused by the extreme heat, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Caliber.Az reports, citing South Korean media.

The national surveillance system monitoring such illnesses was activated in May.

Daily cases of heat-related illness have topped 100 for nine consecutive days since 22 July, with fatalities recorded over the past four days.

The KDCA reported that compared with the same period last year, the number of patients has surged by a factor of 2.6, while the death toll has more than doubled.

The majority of cases involved heat exhaustion (60.7%), followed by heat stroke (16.4%), heat cramps (13.4%) and heat-induced fainting (8.1%). Those aged 65 and over made up nearly a third of all patients.

Much of the country remains under official heatwave warnings, with Seoul experiencing a record number of "tropical nights" for the month of July — defined as nights when temperatures remain above 25°C between 6:01 p.m. and 9 a.m. the next day.

Forecasters say the sweltering conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days.

By Aghakazim Guliyev