108 attendees at World Scout Jamboree treated for heat-related illnesses
Scouts participating in the 25th World Scout Jamboree gulp down drinks under the scorching sun in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, Aug. 2. Yonhap
At least 108 people have been treated for heat-related illnesses at the World Scout Jamboree being held in Korea, which is having one of its hottest summers in years.
Most of them have recovered, but at least two remain at an on-site hospital as of Thursday morning, said Choi Chang-haeng, secretary-general of the Jamboree's organizing committee.
The committee plans to proceed with the event while adding dozens of extra medical personnel to prepare for further emergencies. But it did not confirm the ages and other personal details of those being treated.
An opening ceremony was held on Wednesday night for the Jamboree, which is estimated to have drawn more than 43,000 teenage Scouts from around the world. The festival venue is on land reclaimed from the sea in the southwestern county of Buan. The daytime temperature there reached 35 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min instructed officials during an emergency meeting to explore “all possible measures” to protect the participants, including adjusting the event's outdoor activities, increasing the number of emergency vehicles and medical posts, and also adding more shade structures and air conditioning. He said the goal is to prevent “even one serious illness or death,” according to comments shared by the ministry.
There had been concerns about holding the Jamboree in a vast, treeless area lacking refuge from the heat.
Choi insisted that the event was safe enough to continue and similar problems could have arisen if the Jamboree was held elsewhere.
“The participants came from afar and hadn't yet adjusted (to the weather),” Choi said in a news briefing. He said the large number of patients could be linked to a K-pop performance held during the opening ceremony on Wednesday, which he said left many of the teens “exhausted after actively releasing their energy.”
Korea this week raised its hot weather warning to the highest “serious” level for the first time in four years as temperatures nationwide hovered between 33 to 38 degrees Celsius.
The safety ministry said at least 16 people in Korea have
since May 20, including two on Tuesday. (AP)
Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree rehydrate from water hoses in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, Aug. 3. Yonhap
A male scout rests in the shade at the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, South Jeolla Province. Courtesy of Twitter