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| Scouts participating in the 25th World Scout Jamboree gulp down drinks under the scorching sun in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, Aug. 2. Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
A total of 88 people were taken to the hospital, mostly due to heat exhaustion, Wednesday evening, during the opening ceremony for the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, which is being held in the middle of an unrelenting heat wave.
According to the Jeonbuk National Police Agency and the Jeonbuk Fire and Rescue Headquarters, 88 people, including teenage Scouts, had been taken to hospital during the opening ceremony ended at 10:33 p.m., reporting that they felt dizzy. Police officers and paramedics there said they were transporting the patients to hospitals and also to makeshift clinics that were set up within the Jamboree site itself.
Five others were sent to nearby hospitals for an ankle injury and signs of anxiety.
The daytime highs on the day soared to 34 degrees Celsius in Buan, North Jeolla Province, the host city of the Jamboree.
Tens of thousands of people, including Scouts, gathered at the venue to watch the opening ceremony and fireworks display.
As the situation worsened, rescue authorities asked the organizer to suspend other events scheduled after the opening ceremony. Nearby police stations in Buan, Gochang and Gimje were also placed on high alert in case the situation deteriorates further.
