Middle-aged Man Collapses in 35℃ Heatwave... Woman Buys and Offers Cold Water, 'Heartwarming Act of Kindness'

"In a World Like Today... Angel"

The image of a citizen handing a bottle of water to a man sitting by the roadside, exhausted from the heat, is quietly touching netizens.

A in his 30s, a self-employed convenience store owner in Seoul, shared a story about a female customer on the online community 'BobaeDream.' According to A, on the 30th of last month, a female customer paid for a bottle of water and handed it to a middle-aged man sitting by the roadside in front of the convenience store.

A also released a CCTV photo from the store entrance at the time. In the image, the middle-aged man is sitting with his head down in front of the convenience store. The time was around 2:15 p.m., and the highest temperature that day was around 35 degrees Celsius.

A guest handing a bottle of water to a man sitting on the street. [Image source=Online Community]

However, about 30 seconds after the woman left the water, the man suddenly collapsed on the street. Seeing this, the woman quickly returned to the convenience store to report the situation, and A called the 119 emergency services.

Fortunately, the man had no significant physical issues except for some bleeding caused by the impact of the fall. The paramedics recommended follow-up care, but the man refused. He sat in front of the convenience store a little longer before leaving.

A said, "In today's world, it's difficult to show such small kindness to strangers," adding, "I posted this because I was touched by the woman's heart to buy a cold bottle of water without hesitation and her beautiful kindness."

He continued, "Even after living nearly 40 years, I learned something from her."

Netizens who read the story praised the female customer, saying, "The customer's kind heart saved a life," "Thank goodness," and "She is like an angel."

The man reportedly collapsed about 30 seconds after receiving the bottled water. Thanks to the quick report by the female customer and convenience store owner Mr. A, emergency measures were able to be taken. [Image source=Online community]

Meanwhile, as the heatwave continues with daytime temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius, the number of patients complaining of heat-related illnesses is rapidly increasing. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 255 heat-related illness cases occurred over four days from the 26th to the 29th of last month, after the Korea Meteorological Administration declared the end of the rainy season.

As of the 29th of last month, the total number of heat-related illness cases this year reached 1,015. Over the past weekend alone, there were 11 cases of deaths or suspected deaths due to heat-related illnesses.

Especially, the fatality rate of heat-related illnesses increases with age. Among this year's heat-related illness patients, seniors aged 65 and older accounted for the largest portion at 27.3% (277 people), followed by those in their 50s at 20.7% (210 people).

To prevent heat-related illnesses, it is advised to avoid going outdoors during the hottest hours. More than half (51.4%) of last year's heat-related illness cases occurred between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.