Heat wave claims 4 lives in S. Korea in 3 days
Xinhua, July 31, 2015 Adjust font size:
The unbearable heat wave had claimed four lives in South Korea in the past three days as the sweltering weather swept across the country, the disease control agency said Friday.
Two people died of heatstroke Thursday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 70-year-old man and the 79-year-old woman passed out from sunstroke when they did farm work under the sun.
The first death was reported Tuesday as a 34-year-old man died of heatstroke at a construction site.
On Wednesday, a woman in her late 80s died of sunstroke while working in the fields.
The number of deaths from sunstroke increased from six in 2011 to 15 in 2012 and 14 in 2013, but it declined to one in 2014. The number jumped this year to four as of Thursday.
Adding to the scorching heat, the humidity deepened after a spell of showers from last week to early this week.
The number of patients suffering from heat wave-related diseases rose to 446 Thursday, over a third of which was caused in the past five days.
The agency advised people to avoid drinks containing liquor and caffeine to prevent dehydration and drink more water than usual. It also recommended shunning outside activities from noon to 5 p.m. .
The hot weather would continue for the time being, with the day 's highs ranging from 30 to 36 degrees Celsius nationwide, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
The KMA said "tropical nights" would last as the mercury will hover above 25 degrees Celsius at night. Endi