BEIJING (AP) — Twenty-one people running a mountain ultramarathon have died in northwestern China after hail, freezing rain and gale-force winds hit the high-altitude race, state media reported Sunday.
Updated: 11:58 PM EDT May 22, 2021
BEIJING, China Twenty-one 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, state media reported Sunday.
The rescue headquarters quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency said the participants suffered from physical discomfort and the sudden drop in temperature.
Some went missing in the extreme weather around 1 p.m. Saturday, when the 100-kilometer race in the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in Baiyin city in Gansu province was halted.
Early Sunday, rescuers found 21 dead, including the last of the five missing following an all-night search that involved more than 700 personnel. The operation was made difficult by low temperatures and the complex terrain and topography.
Twenty-one people were killed when extremely cold weather struck during an ultramarathon on Saturday in rugged Gansu province in northwestern China, state media reported on Sunday, sparking public outrage over the lack of contingency planning.