South Korea pro baseball league cancels games over heatwave

Pedestrians walk along a mist spraying zone to cool off on a street in Seoul as a scorching heat wave continues to grip South Korea (Jung Yeon-je)South Korea's professional baseball league cancelled all games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday amid a record-setting heatwave that has sent spectators to hospital.

>The country has been sweltering in a streak of searing weather -- new all-time highs were set three times over the past week alone, peaking at 42.5C on Sunday.

>The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO)'s announcement came a day after President Lee Jae Myung asked authorities to treat the heatwave "as a national disaster" and "make every effort to swiftly implement necessary measures" to protect lives.

>The east and west regions of Seoul remained under the highest-level heat alert Wednesday, issued when the heat index is forecast to reach 38C or temperatures are expected to climb to 39C or higher.

>"We have decided to call off all games on August 5-6 until comprehensive safety measures are established," the KBO said in a statement, citing risks to players and fans as extreme temperatures persist.

>According to local reports, 10 games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday across the country were cancelled.

>A total of 2,221 people suffered heat-related illnesses, including an estimated 19 deaths, between May 15 and August 3, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

>The league said it would convene an emergency executive committee meeting with club officials and representatives of the players' association to discuss additional safety measures.

>The KBO cancelled two games on Tuesday in Seoul's Jamsil Stadium and the southwestern city of Gwangju after multiple spectators collapsed due to the heat.

>During Tuesday's game between the SSG Landers and LG Twins in Incheon, a male spectator collapsed from a suspected heat-related illness, prompting a nine-minute suspension before he was taken to hospital by ambulance, an SSG official told AFP.

>SSG Landers said 25 spectators were treated for heat-related illnesses during the game.

>sjh/cdl/fox