wenty-one people have been killed in a 100-kilometer off-road mountain race in northwest China on Saturday due to a sudden outbreak of extreme weather.
All the other participants are safe and sound, as “at 3 on Sunday morning 151 participants were safe”, according to the official news agency New China, which clarified that a total of 172 people took part in the race in the Stone Forest. Yellow River, near Baigin City, Gansu Province.
A runner, whose fate was unknown, was found at 09:30 (local time), but “he had already lost his life,” CCTV reported, citing the local rescue center.powered by Rubicon Project
“This means that the episode cost the lives of a total of 21 people,” CCTV added. City officials had previously reported 20 dead and one missing.
Two Chinese marathon runners
Among the victims are two well-known Chinese marathon runners, Liang Jing and Huang Guangxun, the local press said, citing the testimony of the first coach, Wei Pulong, and a friend of the latter, who told the the death of Huang.
Liang had won many supermarathons in China in recent years. Huang, who was deaf, had won the marathon for the 2019 National Paralympic Games in Tianjin. In addition, eight participants in the race are being treated for minor injuries, said the mayor of Baigin, Zhang Susen. The New China agency had previously reported that some athletes suffer from hypothermia.
“Around noon, the part of the race that is being conducted at a high altitude, from the 20th to the 31st kilometer, was suddenly hit by catastrophic meteorological conditions. Within a few hours, hail and icy rain suddenly fell in this zone and strong winds were blowing. “The temperature dropped a lot,” said Zhang Sussen.
Shortly after receiving calls for help from some participants, marathon organizers sent a team of rescuers who managed to save 18 participants, according to the mayor.
Around 14:00, the meteorological conditions worsened and the race was canceled, while the local authorities sent other rescuers on the spot, he continued. “This is a public safety incident caused by sudden local weather changes in an area,” he said, adding that provincial authorities were conducting further investigations into the causes.
In all, more than 700 rescuers mobilized to search for the missing. Images from local media showed rescuers in uniform and equipped with lenses climbing the rocky ground at night. In other images, marathon runners were wrapped in isothermal blankets.
“I was afraid the wind would blow me away”
“I was soaking wet, my shoes and socks were soaked. I could not go straight because of the wind, I was very afraid that the wind would carry me away. “The cold was becoming more and more unbearable,” one survivor told local media. “Going down the mountain I was already feeling symptoms of hypothermia.”
The temperature dropped even more during the night, making search and rescue even more difficult, according to New China. 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. In 2010, landslides claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people in a city in Gansu. The area is also seismic. The Stone Forest of the Yellow River is famous for its mountainous landscapes.
