108 taken to hospital during World Jamboree opening ceremony amid heat wave
The opening ceremony for the world jamboree, dubbed the «cultural Olympics for youth,» was held Wednesday night, with about 43,000 young Scouts from 158 countries gathering at a massive campsite in Saemangeum Reclaimed Area on the southwestern coast, Yonhap reports.
A total of 108 participants showed symptoms of heat-related illness, while 31 others complained of headaches, stomachache or musculoskeletal damage during the event, according to the organizing committee. Two people were still being treated in the hospital inside the campsite as of 9 a.m. Thursday.
The organizing committee said it will secure additional medical personnel -- 30 doctors and 60 nurses -- and expand the number of hospital beds to 220, up from the 70 currently available.
At one point near the final stages of the event, multiple people collapsed, and fire authorities requested the organizing committee halt the event, but only the finale firework ceremony was omitted.
In a press briefing later in the day, Choi Chang-haeng, the secretary general of the committee, pledged measures to better protect Scouts from the heat wave.
«We will install additional air-conditioning, as both participants and the medical staff could become exhausted from the heat wave,» Choi said, adding an emergency medical support system has been newly added to transport any seriously ill patients to five nearby hospitals.
«The K-pop event during the opening ceremony, which led to the exhaustion of energy and stamina among teens, is likely to have led to many patients,» Choi said, referring to a K-pop performance given during the ceremony.
This year's unusually hot summer weather is expected to persist throughout the 12-day event, with a heat wave advisory issued for 14 North Jeolla Province areas, including Buan.
