19 Islanders taking part in the Scouts’ Jamboree in South Korea are being moved to emergency hotel accomodation amid a 35c heatwave.
As previously reported by Island Echo, 15 young people aged between 14 and 18 have flown out to SaeManGeum to attend the 25th World Scout Jamboree. They are accompanied by 4 adult volunteers from the Isle of Wight.
Today (Friday) it has been announced that more than 4,000 UK-based Scouts are being taken out of the camp and moved to hotels in Seoul. It comes as 600 of the 40,000 attendees have fallen ill under the hot sunshine, which has led to the country issuing its 1st hot weather warning in 4 years.
However, the trip will not be cut short with return flights to the UK still planned for 13th August.
In a statement, the Scout Association has said:
“UK Scouts are transferring our young people and adult volunteers from the Jamboree site at SaeManGeum to Seoul.
“We will start moving our people to hotel accommodation over the next two days. As we are the largest contingent, our hope is that this helps alleviate the pressure on the site overall.
“We know that may be a disappointment for some and we will continue the Jamboree experience in Seoul, working with Korean authorities on a programme of activities so our young people still get the most from their time in Korea. Young people will travel home as originally planned from 13 August.
Article continues below this advertisement “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”.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office has this week confirmed that officials in South Korea are supporting Brits attending the event.
The cost of attending the World Jamboree and the associated training is £3,995 per head.
35 degrees, they won’t melt. Why is the sun and hot weather suddenly the work of the devil? People need to get a grip.
All part of the great deception to justify higher taxes for us minions.
Is this more of the woke society. When we went on camps with the scouts abroad you expected
Hot weather, freezing temperatures and heavy rain.
How are they going to cope when they get home next week and it is 25 degrees send them for
councilling.
Oh would you all just shut up! The temperature was over 38 degrees one day and 138 kids were hospitalised. KIds have much more difficulty coping with hot temperatures than adults. The very high humidity made it even worse.
138 kids out of 40000 is hardly earth shattering
How many do you want hospitalised Ron? 1000? 2000? Maybe a few dead too would make you happy.
Non story all part of the agenda can we have a bit of global warming over here, got my winter jumper on
I see the child-hating old-fartery is out in force again.