A total of 88 people were taken to hospitals during the opening ceremony of the 25th World Scout Jamboree, with most of them showing signs of heat-related illness, officials said Thursday.

The opening ceremony for the world jamboree, dubbed the "cultural Olympics for youth," was held Wednesday night, with about 43,000 young Scouts from 158 countries gathered at a massive campsite in Saemangeum Reclaimed Area on the southwestern coast.

During the event, 83 participants who had symptoms of heat-related illness were treated within the hospital inside the campsite, while five others were referred to nearby hospitals with ankle fractures or signs of anxiety disorders, according to the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency.

At one point near the final stages of the event, multiple people collapsed, and fire authorities requested the organizing committee halt the event.

"Most of the patients showed signs of exhaustion, but no one was seriously hurt," an official said, adding long hours of exposure to the heat is likely to have caused symptoms of heat-related illness.

The organizing committee plans to explain the details of the incident during a briefing early Thursday.

Meanwhile, this year's unusually hot summer weather is expected to continue throughout the 12-day event, with a heat wave advisory issued for 14 North Jeolla Province areas, including Saemangeum. (Yonhap)