Heat exhaustion trips up 28 runners at race in Gyeonggi

Over two dozen runners at the race in Hanam, Gyeonggi, on Saturday night suffered from heat exhaustion.

A LED screen displays the temperature of an apartment complex in Seoul on Friday. Seoul marked its 28th consecutive tropical night on Saturday overnight. [YONHAP]

Over two dozen runners suffered from heat exhaustion during a racing event held in Hanam, Gyeonggi, on Saturday night.

During the 2024 Summer Night RUN race held at Misa Boat Race Park in Shinjang-dong, Hanam in Gyeonggi on Saturday, 28 participants showed signs of heat exhaustion at around 7:42 p.m.

More than 30 calls were made to the 119 emergency hotline during that time.

Nineteen of the affected runners were classified as seriously injured due to loss of consciousness and were taken to the hospital for treatment, while the remaining participants received first aid on site.

None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

In response to the incident, fire authorities issued a level-one emergency response for the possibility of more cases and mobilized around 10 ambulances and fire trucks from Seoul and Gyeonggi. An on-site emergency medical center was also established.

The 10-kilometer race began at 7 p.m. on Saturday and reportedly drew over 5,000 participants.

At the time of the event, the temperature in Hanam reached 30.1 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), with a perceived temperature of 31.3 degrees and 69 percent humidity.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]