More than 4,000 UK Scouts are to be moved from a camp into hotels because of a heatwave at the organisation’s World Jamboree in South Korea.
Temperatures in some parts of the country have topped 38C (100.4F) this week, with at least 600 people at the event having been treated for heat-related ailments, according to officials.
Some 39,000 participants, most of them scouts aged between 14 and 18, are taking part in the event, which is being held in southwestern Buan.
The UK Scouts will be moved from the Jamboree site to hotels in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, according to a spokesperson for the organisation.
“We will start moving our people to hotel accommodation over the next two days,” a spokesperson said.
“As we (the UK) are the largest contingent, our hope is that this helps alleviate the pressure on the site overall.”
The spokesperson said that the Scouts will work with local authorities to put on a programme of activities “so our young people still get the most from their time in Korea”.
“While we have been on site at the Jamboree, the UK volunteer team has worked extremely hard with the organisers, for our youth members and adult volunteers to have enough food and water to sustain them, shelter from the unusually hot weather, and toilets and washing facilities appropriate for an event of this scale,” the spokesperson added.
South Korea’s government has approved a 6bn won ($4.6m) to support the jamboree, with water trucks, air-conditioned spaces and medics.
“The government will use all its resources to ensure that the jamboree can end safely amid the heatwave,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told a special cabinet meeting.
Emergency services had earlier said most of those who had fallen ill had mild heat-related symptoms.
