World Scout Jamboree: South Korea orders water trucks, AC busses for scouts in heat wave

South Korea on Friday ordered the deployment of air-conditioned busses and freezer trucks as hundreds of scouts at a global event fell ill this week due to the unusually hot weather the country is currently witnessing.

Thousands of teenagers from over 155 countries are taking part in the World Scout Jamboree — deemed the world's largest youth camp — that began Tuesday in Buan.

With temperatures in some parts of South Korea crossing 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) this week, the jamboree is taking place amid the highest heat warning by authorities in four years,

At least 600 people at the event have so far been treated for heat-related illnesses.

Local media reports have deemed the situation as a "national disgrace" given the time the country had to make preparations for the event.

On Friday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's office held an emergency meeting following which an unlimited number of air-conditioned busses the scouts can use for relief and trucks to provide cold water were ordered, presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.

The emergency meeting would make a decision "regarding the allocation of approximately 6 billion won (€4.2 million, $4.6 million) in contingency funds," Yoon's office said.

Meanwhile, the organizers said they were modifying the schedule depending on the heat conditions.

"Despite the heat and the difficulties and the challenges that they are facing, only 8% reported that they were very unsatisfied with the experience so far," Jacob Murray, the director for World Events at the Scouts, told the media.

"We are grateful to the Korean government and provincial government for providing additional resources."