Scouts to evacuate World Scout Jamboree in South Korea

This was not the adventure scouts planned on when they signed up to go to the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea.

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After sweltering temperatures, a tropical storm is threatening the site of the event in Buan, The Associated Press reported. It was 95 degrees Fahrenheit on average, BBC News reported Monday.

The storm has already impacted southern Japan and is expected to be in the region where the jamboree is being held on Thursday, Reuters reported.

About 36,000 scouts and volunteers from 158 countries will be boarding buses on Tuesday to leave the event for Seoul and the surrounding area. They are the remaining participants after other contingents pulled out, BBC News reported.

In total, about 43,000 participants were at the event, The New York Times reported.

South Korea’s gender equality minister Kim Hyun-sook, who is overseeing the jamboree, said it is continuing, but in a different location.

The presidential office is asking local communities to host scouts and are providing activities for them, including offering free or discounted admission, cultural performances and other events, the Times reported.

The evacuation comes after hundreds of participants got sick from the rising temperatures over recent days, Reuters reported. American scouts were already moved to nearby Camp Humphreys after the country dealt with one of the hottest summers in recent memory, the AP reported.

They are expected to return to the U.S. on Aug. 25, CNN reported.

Members of the British contingent also evacuated, not only because of the heat but also for safety, with the head of UK Scouts telling Reuters there were concerns over the cleanliness and food at the camp.

UK Scouts chief executive Matt Hyde told BBC News that he felt he was let down by organizers of the event and that it had become a health risk. The U.K. contingent, which consists of 4,500 people, was taken to hotels until the jamboree ends on Aug. 12.

The governor of the province where the jamboree is occurring has apologized for the concerns, adding that sanitary conditions have improved and water and air conditioners were trucked in to help keep participants cool, according to Reuters.

The organizers have also added additional cleaning staff, bringing their numbers to more than 500, CNN reported.

The evacuation came after the World Organization of the Scout Movement asked that the South Korean government move attendees from the path of Tropical Storm Khanun and asked that they “provide all necessary resources and support for participants during their stay and until they return to their home countries,” the AP reported.

Officials are looking to put the contingents up in government training centers, education facilities and hotels in the region.

It is estimated that it will take at least six hours to get everyone from where the event was scheduled to where it’s set to be held.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement said the South Korean jamboree was the 25th World Scout Jamboree. They take place every four years, with the next one scheduled to take place in 2027 with an estimated 50,000 scouts in Poland.