More than 35,000 evacuated from chaotic scout jamboree in South Korea as typhoon looms

Thousands of British scouts have already moved to safer accommodation in Seoul, thanks to gathering being beset by problems

Tens of thousands of young people are being evacuated from the ill-fated World Scout Jamboree in South Korea ahead of an approaching typhoon – having already had hundreds of people treated for heat-related illness thanks to a heatwave.

The Jamboree has also been criticised for poor sanitation, waterlogged conditions caused by previous heavy rain and swarms of flies during the event – which has attracted more than 40,000 scouts from more than 100 countries to the southwestern county of Buan.

Ahmad Alhendawi, secretary-general of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement, said the challenges were unparalleled in a century of scouting history.

“This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges,” he said.

Scouts from the UK, a 4,6000-string delegation, and the US had already departed the campsite, heading to the capital, Seoul, and other areas.

The father of a British scout who was evacuated from an international jamboree in South Korea has said his daughter complained about "disgusting" conditions at the World Scout Jamboree campsite.

The father, who asked to remain anonymous, said of the stay for his 17-year-old daughter: "The toilets deteriorated over the time she was there to the point they were unusable and pretty disgusting.

"There were just not enough people on the ground and by the sounds of it it hasn't been well organised by the Koreans,” The 48-year-old said. "I don't think they were being particularly well catered for."

Starting from Tuesday at 10am local time, more than 36,000 individuals remaining in Saemangeum started to be transported via 1,000 buses to more secure locations, according to South Korea’s vice minister for disaster and safety management Kim Sung-ho. Seoul and its surrounding province of Gyeonggi would host almost half the scouts, with the rest fanning out to six other areas, Mr Lee said. Police cars and helicopters will escort the convoys to safety, he added.

Local media reported that at the expansive campsite, scouts were busy dismantling their tents, gathering their possessions and forming lines to board buses destined for substitute lodging.

A closing ceremony, to be followed by a K-pop concert, will now be held on Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the culture ministry said on Tuesday.

Severe tropical storm Khanun, responsible for evacuations and power outages in Japan, is predicted to reach South Korea’s southern Jeolla province by Thursday. While downgraded from a typhoon, it continues to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 125 kph (78 mph) as of Tuesday morning, according to South Korea’s weather agency.

The adverse weather conditions had “significantly impacted the planning and delivery of the 25th World Scout Jamboree”, Mr Alhendawi said, adding that despite the challenges, scouts had shown “true resilience, determination and leadership in the face of adversity”.

According to the scouts organisation, this is the first time when a campsite is being evacuated due to adverse weather since 1971, when a typhoon hit a world scout jamboree in Japan.

Reuters and the Press Association contributed to this report