Due to an approaching tropical cyclone, thousands of scouts attending an international event in South Korea are being evacuated from a campsite.
Several countries, including the United Kingdom, had already departed the camp, citing the high temperatures and poor sanitation.
The chief executive of the UK Scouts, Matt Hyde, stated that he had been let down by organizers and that UK activities had been set back by years. He told sources that the location posed a health concern.
The World Scout Jamboree, attended by more than 40,000 young people from 155 countries, has been beset by problems from the very beginning.
Hundreds had become ill in the 35C (95F) humidity, with British scouts among those suffering from heat exhaustion.
The British contingent of 4,500 people, the highest in attendance, arrived at the Saemangeum campsite near the city of Buan last week.
Over the weekend, they were relocated to hotels in the capital city of Seoul, where they will remain until the conclusion of the jamboree on August 12.
According to Mr. Hyde, the relocation will cost the UK Scout Association in excess of £1 million from its reserves.
United States and Singapore teams have already withdrawn from the camp. Monday, the South Korean government informed organizers of the World Scout Jamboree that it was no longer safe to conduct the event.
The government mentioned that it had considered the World Organisation of Scout Movements' and national delegations' requests to close the site for several days.
South Korea's vice minister for disaster and safety management, Kim Sung-ho, has announced that on Tuesday, at 10:00 local time (01:00GMT), approximately 36,000 persons remaining in Saemangeum will be transported by bus to safer areas.
On Saturday, coaches carrying British adolescents began to arrive in Seoul, roughly 197 kilometers (120 miles) from the campsite.
Mr. Hyde stated that the British contingent was focused on implementing an "engaging program" for the capital's youth.
He added that four red lines were violated, including lack of shade, lack of food for those with dietary requirements, poor sanitation, and inadequate medical services. "We were told that things would be implemented, but they were not," he said. "If you can envision [toilets] being used by tens of thousands of people but not being cleaned as frequently as you would expect, you can imagine what people saw," the author writes.
He stated that each British scout had spent approximately £3,500 on the excursion, with many relying on fundraising.
Mr. Hyde stated that the Covid contagion may have had an impact on the event's planning and that it was "crucial" that an independent review be conducted.
John Coleman, 57, from Liverpool, stated that the "trip of a lifetime" he had planned for his 17-year-old daughter, who celebrated her birthday at the event, had "turned into a fiasco."
He told sources that their entire family had raised £3,500 in order to send her on the trip, but she has "not received what we paid for."
On 2 August, parents were informed that facilities were "continuously improving," two days before a decision was made to vacate the site due to numerous issues.
