Scouts chief slams lack of hygiene at disastrous jamboree as teenager tells of snakes and children fainting

British contingent driven to leave event in South Korea amid fears for safety

Britain’s scouting chief has hit out at the organisers of the disastrous world jamboree in South Korea as the parent of one attendee described chaotic scenes of children fainting in the extreme heat and a snake being found under his daughter’s bed.

Days after the British contingent was forced to leave the event in South Korea, organisers announced on Monday that tens of thousands of youngsters will be evacuated from the campsite to get them out of the path of a looming typhoon.

Matt Hyde, chief executive of UK Scouts, said the group decided to withdraw more than 4,000 scouts on Friday for their own safety following concerns over extreme heat, which led to hundreds falling ill days before, as well as issues with food and “a lack of hygiene”.

He said sanitation at the event and cleanliness of the toilets caused “severe” health and safety fears. He also spoke of concerns about the medical services as well as the amount of food available, particularly for those with dietary requirements.

British Scouts leave the World Scout Jamboree campsite in Buan, South Korea (AP)

Mr Hyde said: “We were concerned that the toilets weren’t being cleaned frequently enough. It wasn’t safe in there. And there was rubbish building up as well.

“There were concerns around food and particularly those with dietary requirements that weren’t getting the food that they needed so they were eating less. We didn’t think it was safe for the young people and the adult volunteers.”

He added that it was “punishingly” hot in South Korea, with temperatures hitting 38C, and that scout leaders were “concerned about the heat relief measures that have been put in place” as well as the medical services available.

In a statement, Mr Hyde added that he felt “let down” by the organisers of the jamboree, which had scouts from 158 countries taking part and warned that UK Scouts would financially struggle for up to five years after spending £1m on the evacuations.

He said the money used to move the scouts and adult volunteers was taken from its “reserves”.

South Korea last week raised its hot weather warning to the highest “serious” level for the first time in four years, with at least 19 people dying from heat-related illnesses across the country since 20 May.

Olaf Clayton’s daughter, 16-year-old Gabriela, had travelled from the family’s home in Madrid, Spain, with British Scouting Overseas to join the jamboree and had been “absolutely devastated” to hear they were being pulled out.

He said his daughter had spent 18 months conducting bake sales, teaching English and working in catering while the 1st British Scouts Madrid ran fundraising events for her to save the money to attend. She also learned Korean phrases and studied the country’s culture.

However, the sanitation and the weather worsened quickly, he said. “By the time they were leaving it was hell. Kids were fainting waiting for the buses to arrive. There was no shade, all activities were cancelled and there were huge mosquitoes.”

Attendees of the World Scout Jamboree lie down to rest at a scout camping site in Buan, South Korea (Kim-yeol/Newsis via AP)

He told of how his daughter had even discovered a snake under her bed. “Gabriela is quite a tough cookie,” he said. “But she said there were ‘funny things’ coming out of the ground. There was a snake under her bed – thankfully the Bangladeshi scouts knew just how to deal with snakes.”

UK Scouts confirmed on Monday that all British attendees had been relocated to Seoul, where it said the jamboree will continue until the original end date of 13 August.

Britain had sent the largest contingent to the jamboree, the first global scout gathering since the pandemic. The US Scouts followed their departure from the campsite, located in an area of reclaimed land in southwestern Jeolla province, while Singaporean scouts have also moved into accommodation elsewhere.

Attendees of the World Scout Jamboree cool off with water at a scout camping site in Buan, South Korea (Kim-yeol/Newsis via AP)

Organisers then announced on Monday that around 36,000 participants, mostly teenagers, will be taken by bus on Tuesday to areas away from the path of Typhoon Khanun, which has already wreaked havoc in southern Japan and is expected to hit South Korea on Thursday.

However, South Korean officials have stressed that the jamboree will continue, albeit in a different location. “I can say that it is the location that is only changing because of the natural disaster, but it is still continuing,” Kim Hyun-sook, whose ministry is organising the event, told reporters.

British scout members gather to leave the World Scout Jamboree campsite in Buan, South Korea (Kim Joo-hyung/Yonhap via AP)

Parents and the public have criticised the organisers for not anticipating the heat. Provincial governor Kim Kwan-young apologised on Sunday for not being well prepared, and officials sent in more medics, water trucks and air conditioners to the campsite to help with the heat-related illnesses.

Mr Clayton said: “Gabriela will have war stories and learned a lot from it, so there are positives but not so much for South Korea and its reputation for hosting this kind of thing.”

More than 40,000 people, including scouts from 155 nations attended the event (Choe Young-soo/Yonhap via AP)

Each UK scout spent around £3,500 on the trip with many relying on fundraising or donations, he said.

He added that he would encourage an independent inquiry into the jamboree to be held but did not specify by who.

More than 40,000 people, including scouts from 155 nations attended the event. Poland is due to host the next World Scout Jamboree in 2027.

“It is critical that the lessons are learned,” Mr Hyde said. “Things were promised, they weren’t delivered.”

The Independent has approached Korea Scout Association for comment.