The heat wave that gripped the nation this summer has claimed 14 lives so far and sent scores of people to emergency rooms with heat stroke and other complaints.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare found that 826 people have been rushed to emergency rooms nationwide with heat-related illness since June and 14 died.

The number of patients has risen over the past two weeks. A total of 669 people were rushed to emergency rooms during this period, and 11 died. The protracted heat wave has hit not only senior citizens and chronic patients, but younger people as well.

Senior citizens accounted for nine of the 14 heat-related deaths this summer, but two were in their 40s and three in their 50s.