Beijing, May 23, 2021: City officials in Beijing have confirmed the deaths 21 deaths after freezing rain and high winds hit marathon runners participating in a 100km cross-country mountain race in China.
Extreme weather hit a high-altitude section of the race held in the Yellow River Stone Forest near Baiyin city in northwestern Gansu province Saturday afternoon, city officials said. Baiyin city mayor Zhang Xuchen said that at around midday a section of the ultramarathon course, between kilometres 20 and 31 was “suddenly affected by disastrous weather and in a short period of time, hailstones and ice rain suddenly fell in the local area, with strong winds. The temperature sharply dropped.”
After receiving SOS messages from some runners, marathon organisers dispatched a rescue team that managed to save 18 of the 172 participants. At around 2pm, weather conditions worsened and the race was immediately called off as local authorities sent more rescuers to help, Zhang said, adding that provincial authorities will further investigate its cause.
According to state news agency, Zhinhua, some of the runners suffered from hypothermia as a result of the weather, and Zhang said earlier that eight people were being treated for minor injuries in hospital and were in a stable condition.
Video footage broadcast on state media showed emergency rescue personnel in combat fatigues carrying flashlights as they climbed through the rocky terrain. Temperatures in the mountainous terrain dropped further overnight, making search and rescue “more difficult”.
The race was being held in Gansu, one of China’s poorest regions, borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west. Deadly floods and landslides have hit the province in the past, with mudslides reportedly killing well over 1,000 people in one town in 2010.
Stay tuned to BaaghiTV for latest news and Updates!
