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Twenty-one runners died during an ultramarathon in China’s Gansu Province on May 22 when severe weather, which was reportedly unforeseen, swept across the course at high altitude.
A search-and-rescue mission was deployed, and over 151 people were rescued.
Local Chinese authorities have promised an investigation into the runners’ deaths.
Twenty-one runners died while racing an ultramarathon in northwestern China when severe weather hit the course during the race.
On Saturday, May 22, 172 runners started the Yellow River Stone Forest 100K, a high-altitude race that ran between 6,500 and 9,800 feet in the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in the Gansu province, near the city of Baiyin. As the runners spread throughout the mountains into the high altitude section, hail, freezing rain, and gale-force winds swept across the course, causing the temperatures to plummet, according to state media Xinhua News Agency.
First Published: 10:12 AM PDT, May 24, 2021
There had been no reports of dangerous weather on the day of the race, according to one of the race organizers, Beijing News, a paper owned by the Beijing government, reported.
An ultramarathon in northwestern China turned deadly when extreme weather hit, killing 21 runners during Saturday s face. Hail, freezing rain and gale force winds swept the region of northwestern China during the race, according to state media, the Associated Press reported.
More than 700 rescuers came to the aid of the runners as they battled freezing temperatures. Rescuers wearing winter jackets in the pitch-blackness of the night used flashlights along the steep hills and narrow paths to look for victims before the search ended Sunday, CBS News reported.
21 runners die after extreme weather hits ultramarathon trail in China cbsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Rescuers in China say at least 21 people have died and five are missing in extreme weather during a mountain marathon cross-country race in the country's northwest.
At least 21 people running a mountain marathon cross-country race have died in northwestern China after hail, freezing rain and gale winds hit the high-altitude track, rescuers said Sunday.