9 Canadians among hundreds ill at Scout event as heatwave hits South Korea
CTV
Hundreds of attendees, including nine Canadians, at the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea have fallen ill as the country experiences an extended heat wave.
Nine Canadians are among the hundreds of attendees who fell ill at the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea this week as the country experiences an extended heat wave.
The event, which started on Aug. 1, has more than 40,000 participants aged 14 to 17 from more than 170 countries, including a Canadian contingent of 235 youth and 143 volunteers.
During the opening ceremony, 108 people were sent to hospital due to heat-related illnesses, officials said on Thursday. Since then, more than 400 people have complained of heat-related symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and exhaustion, according to a local report.
Scouts Canada told CTVNews.ca in an email a total of five adult volunteers and four youth from the Canadian team experienced heat stress and received medical assessment. By Friday morning, they had returned to their campsites.
The 10-day educational event is being held on a flat landscape in Saemangeum, Jeollabuk-do, about 257 kilometres southwest of Seoul, where participants are camping in tents with little natural shade or access to cooling facilities.
During the first days of the event, the temperature hovered around 35 C or higher and local authorities are saying it is one of the hottest summers in the country in years.
Jeff Schaffhauser, executive director of Scouting Operations Canada, said the Jamboree’s organizers and the World Organization of the Scout Movement are putting additional measures in place to combat heat-related issues at the event, including fixing infrastructure problems and strengthening medical services on site.
