A group of children were rushed to hospital following an "extraordinary medical incident" that led to the cancellation of a music festival. The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, which was scheduled for Wednesday, confirmed that the incident was due to a "flu-like outbreak", with several attendees reporting similar symptoms. Public Health Wales confirmed on Thursday that a "small group of children" were affected by the symptoms. They reassured that while the children are currently in hospital for assessment, they are not seriously ill.

Chris Williams, Consultant in Health Protection for Public Health Wales, stated: "We are aware that a small group of children who were visiting the Eisteddfod at Llangollen were taken to hospital [on Wednesday] evening." He added: "Currently, the children are being medically assessed for mild respiratory symptoms, but they are not seriously unwell."

The festival organisers confirmed that the event had been given the green light to proceed as usual on Thursday morning. The annual six-day event attracts singers and dancers from around the globe to compete in over 20 competitions, reports Wales Online.

With an impressive attendance of over 50,000 throughout the event, past performers have included renowned names such as Luciano Pavarotti, Julian Lloyd Webber and Katherine Jenkins. In an updated announcement, the festival organisation stated: "Further to the previous statement, we can confirm that following the declaration of an extraordinary incident by the Welsh Ambulance Service, following Public Health Wales advice - the incident related to a flu-like outbreak and related to multiple people with similar symptoms.

"The extraordinary incident was called by the Welsh Ambulance Service due to the number of people who presented ill at one time. The Llangollen International Eisteddfod takes the safety of its audience, competitors, performers and volunteers extremely seriously. Therefore, following advice - we were forced to cancel an event in this way for the first time in our history. We are pleased to report our site has been cleared to re-open tomorrow at 9am, as we continue to welcome the world to Wales. We'd like to thank our staff, medical staff and our volunteers for their swift response this evening."

In an initial account, the festival organisers said that the sudden cancellation of the event was because of an "extraordinary medical incident". They expressed gratitude towards the medical personnel who attended the situation promptly.

They concluded with: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused."