Record heat in South Korea, North Korea and Japan is taking a heavy toll on people and animals. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Fans fainted at a baseball park in Seoul. Lions died at a zoo in Tokyo. A woman taking shelter in a car was found dead. A doctor advised people to eat dog meat to promote stamina.
In most of South Korea, a major heat wave advisory was in place Wednesday as temperatures in densely populated greater Seoul, home to 20 million people, and adjacent areas soared as high as 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
North Korean authorities have issued a heat wave advisory in many areas and called for people to take safety steps to avoid heat-related health problems.
Japan's anti-disaster agency reported more than 18,000 people with heat stroke symptoms were transported to hospitals during the week of July 20 to 26.
Since mid-May in South Korea, about 2,220 people have been diagnosed with heat-related illnesses and 19 have died.