Seoul Aug 1 (IANS): At least 17 people died from an ongoing heat wave in South Korea over the weekend, mostly elderly farmers working outside in the extreme heat, authorities said.

Since the season's first heat wave alerts went into effect in mid-June, the country has been gripped with sweltering heat, with recent highs at around 35 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, reports Yonhap News Agency.

According to the latest data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, North Gyeongsang province was the hardest-hit, with seven elderly farmers killed.

A passerby in his 60s was reported to have collapsed on a farmland path in the province's city of Gyeongsan on Sunday, according to the region's fire agency.

His body temperature was measured at 39.2 degrees.

He was moved to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest but died.

A farmer in his 80s collapsed and died around on Sunday afternoon while working on a farm in the city of Mungyeong and another farmer in his 80s died in the county of Yecheon, both in North Gyeongsang.

On July 29 alone, the province saw four heat-related deaths involving elderly farmers working outside, in Mungyeong, Gimcheon, Sangju and Gyeongsan, respectively.

In South Gyeongsang province, two farmers in their 80s were reported to have died while working outdoors in broad daylight Sunday, while an 80-something woman was killed by the heat the previous day while working outside.

On July 29 and Sunday, a 60-something person died of heatstroke while weeding a grave in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, while a 90-something farmer died while working in the same region.

The farmer's body temperature was 41 degree at the time he was found.

Gyeonggi province surrounding Seoul reported two heat-related deaths, while a farmer died while working in Jecheon, North Chungcheong province.

Authorities were also looking into whether the heat wave was the cause behind the death of an elderly resident of Gunsan, North Jeolla province, who was found dead in his yard.

All victims had high body temperatures when they were found, the authorities said.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, six people were presumed to have died from the heat on July 29, while 73 people had suffered heat-related illnesses as of Sunday evening.