21 runners die in extreme weather during mountain race By LI LEI in Beijing and MA JINGNA in Lanzhou | China Daily | Updated: 2021-05-24 06:40 Share CLOSE Soldiers are seen in Saturday midnight during the rescue of marathon participants in Baiyin, Northwest China s Gansu province. [Photo/CCTV News app]
Twenty-one marathoners－some among China s most promising athletes－died in extreme weather during an annual mountain ultramarathon in Baiyin, Gansu province, local authorities said on Sunday.
Another eight were hospitalized for minor injuries, and the rest were rescued safe and sound.
The tragedy came after a round of hail, freezing rain and high winds caught 172 lightly dressed marathon runners off guard on Saturday as they were racing across winding mountainous tracks in the central part of Gansu.
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A search and rescue team scouring the mountains of Gansu, China. A probe is underway into the deaths of 21 runners during a mountain ultramarathon in the province, following extreme weather conditions. – Facebook pic, May 24, 2021.
AN investigation is underway today into the deaths of 21 runners during a mountain ultramarathon in northwest China, as harrowing testimony emerged from survivors who battled to safety through freezing temperatures and bone-chilling winds.
The extreme weather struck a high-altitude section of the 100km race held in the scenic Yellow River Stone Forest in Gansu province Saturday afternoon.
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China probes deaths of 21 runners after freak weather hits ultramarathon
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BEIJING, May 24, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – An investigation was underway Monday into the deaths of 21 runners during a mountain ultramarathon in northwest China, as harrowing testimony emerged from survivors who battled to safety through freezing temperatures and bone-chilling winds.
The extreme weather struck a high-altitude section of the 100-kilometre (62-mile) race held in the scenic Yellow River Stone Forest in Gansu province Saturday afternoon.
Provincial authorities have set up an investigation team to look into the cause of the incident, state media reported, as questions swirled over why organisers apparently ignored extreme weather warnings from the city’s Early Warning Information Centre in the lead up to the race, which attracted 172 runners.
Sunday, 23 May 2021 12:37 PM MYT
This photo taken on May 22, 2021 shows rescuers carrying equipment as they search for runners who were competing in a 100 km cross-country mountain race when extreme weather hit the area, near the city of. AFP pic
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BEIJING, May 23 Twenty-one people were killed after hail, freezing rain and high winds hit runners taking part in a 100-kilometre cross-country mountain race in China, state media said Sunday.
The 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.