The scouts group, which was 24, is from a department in Roux, near Charleroi. In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the leaders notified the emergency services, after which four ambulances and a mosquito team were sent to the camp, La Première and RTL Info reported.
The sick children are not in serious condition, but the mayor of Beauraing, who arrived at the scene around 3 am, decided to close the scout camp for at least 48 hours as a precaution, so that all children can be examined by their GP. The parents were asked to pick up their children.
“I think it’s often because of the water. I always remind the people in the camps to be very careful with the transportation and storage of water. Sometimes the scout groups come with improvised looks and confusion can arise between the looks,” suspects Marc Lejeune, the mayor of Beauraing.
“I think the camp was well run and there were enough leaders to oversee. It was just bad luck,” he told RTL Info. On his Facebook page he thanks Fedasil for the help in taking care of the children.