SEOUL- South Korea's heat wave death toll rose to 14 so far this year, with almost 1,700 people treated for heat-related illnesses, the interior ministry said Tuesday.

Two women in their 70s died on Sunday due to extreme heat, while a 65-year-old man was reported dead Sunday after collapsing on a farm two days earlier, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The three more deaths increased the heat-related death toll to 14 between May 20 and Aug 4 amid the continued scorching heat across the country.

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The total number of patients treated for heat-related illnesses between May 20 and Aug 4 climbed to 1,690, higher than 1,646 tallied in the same period of last year.

The current heat wave also killed 303,000 heads of livestock, including 277,000 poultry, in addition to 13,000 cultured fish, from June 11 to Aug 5.

The sweltering heat has plagued the country since last week, with temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Celsius across the nation and reaching as high as 40°C.

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The weather agency forecast that the extreme heat, accompanied by tropical nights, would continue until at least Aug 15.