Manx Scouts have been evacuated from their camp in South Korea at the 2023 World Scout Jamboree because of adverse weather conditions.

The event, which takes place once every four years, has been placed in jeopardy due to the threat of typhoon Kanun, which could make landfall on Korea’s south-eastern coast later this week.

Roughly 43,000 Scouts from more than 150 countries have joined the event, with nine Manx Scouts teaming up with Cumbrian Scouts and the north-west Guides to create the group labelled ‘unit 48’.

The Manx Scouts in unit 48 travelled to Seoul on Thursday, July 27, spending six days in the capital before continuing onto the Jamboree camp in the south-western county of Buan.

They then spent three days at the camp, which consisted of mainly staying inside their self-constructed tents due to the extreme heatwave, before being evacuated from the site back to Seoul on Saturday, August 5.

Eddie Ward, the area commissioner for the north-west guides and one of the team leaders for unit 48, said on Saturday: ‘Our contigency team are talking with the boy scouts of America and the Singaporean Scouts to link up on continuing the Jamboree activities in Seoul together.

‘Scouts, coaches and volunteers have already started safely arriving in Seoul and are settling into their accommodation. The UK embassy has been welcoming them as they arrive.

‘The UK embassy are also supporting the UK Scouts team with developing programme activities for the rest of their Jamboree experience in Seoul.’

Yesterday, when it was confirmed that everyone would be leaving the main camp in Buan, Mr Ward added: ‘The Jamboree site is closing and everyone is leaving, which validates the decision of the UK Scouts to leave the camp as soon as possible.

‘I have no idea where a further camp that will accommodate over 40,000 children can be held. The UK Scouts have a unit meeting today where a contigency plan will be discussed with the objective of continuing the Jamboree in South Korea.’

Extreme heatwaves had already seen many Scouts being treated for heat-related injuries before the threat of typhoon Kanun, which has already passed through north-east Japan with its trajectory now heading towards south-east Korea.

There have also been concerns regarding poor sanitation and a lack of medical resources at the campsite upon arrival. The chief executive of the UK scouts, Matt Hyde, said: ‘We feel let down by the organisers because we repeatedly raised some of these concerns before we went, and during, and we were promised things were going to be put in place and they weren’t.

‘Relocating up to 4,500 people has cost the scout association more than £1 million, and this cost will negatively affect the organisation’s activities for the next five years.

‘It’s punishingly hot here in South Korea. It’s an unprecedented heatwave, but the heat relief measures that were put in place were concerningly poor.

‘We are dissapointed in the organiser’s of the event and we do feel let down, but our Jamboree journey will continue here in Seoul.’

Unit 48 – including the nine Manx members – embarked on a 18-month-long fundraising campaign so they were able to travel to the Jamboree, which included participating in the first ‘great Manx fun run’, winning £1,000 from a Tesco community scheme and cake, raffle and craft sales.

Siobhan Beck, a founding member of unit 48, said: ‘It has been quite a journey preparing and fundraising over these last 18 months.

‘I feel sure that all the preparation that unit 48 have covered will lead to an experience of a lifetime, and one that I am sure will stay with them for years to come.’