Man dies of heatstroke, marks Incheon's first heat-related death this year

A man in his 40s died of heatstroke in Incheon on Monday, after a police report was received of him "wandering around shirtless" the previous day. 

The report was made to emergency services at 6:32 a.m. on Sunday that he was seen without a shirt on and walking along a street in Gyeyang District, according to the Incheon Fire Department on Monday.

Paramedics who arrived at the scene found the man with a body temperature of 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and transported him to a nearby hospital.

His condition worsened after his body temperature rose to nearly 40 degrees Celsius. He died at around 4 a.m. Monday, about a day after being admitted to the hospital.

City officials believe he died of heatstroke based on the medical assessment of hospital staff and are investigating the exact circumstances surrounding his death.

“This is the first heat-related death reported in Incheon this year,” a city official said. “We are implementing heat wave response measures to prevent additional cases.”

Incheon has been under a heat wave advisory since July 24. The city's daytime high temperature reached 33.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, while the maximum heat index climbed to 34.2 degrees Celsius.

Including the man, a total of 92 people had suffered heat-related illnesses in Incheon between May 15 and 10 a.m. Monday, city officials said.

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]