Tragedy in a mountain ultramarathon: 21 runners died of hypothermia

High winds, hail and freezing rain hit athletes during a 100-kilometer ultramarathon in Gansu province, China.

The race came to a halt when some of the 172 runners disappeared and a rescue operation began.

Facts

The unfortunate competition took place in Yellow River Stone Forest, a tourist site in the province of Gansu, Saturday May 22.

The riders started at 9:00 am local time (01:00 GMT), and some were only equipped with shorts and jerseys.

Participants who survived said the weather forecast predicted wind and rain, but nothing as extreme as what they had to face.

About three hours after the start, a mountainous part of the race was hit by hail, heavy rains and gales, causing temperatures to drop, officials from nearby Baiyin town said.

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Local reports indicate that many corridors they lost their way because the time visibility affected.

More than 1,000 rescuers have been deployed and assisted by thermal imaging drones and radars, according to state media; however, local authorities have been severely criticized for waste precious time for the victims.

The rescue operation lasted overnight from Saturday to Sunday morning, when a further drop in temperature made the search even more difficult, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

The results

The dead provoked public outrage on social networks. The criticisms were mainly aimed at the Baiyin municipal government and the lack of contingency planning.

Although officials who organized the race provided few details on what happened and they took a long time to make the list of the dead public, the investigation carried out by the courts resulted in sanctions to 27 officials for the death of runners.

The central government of China and its state media denounced that the local authorities put profits before athlete safety.

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According to the report released by the province, authorities believed there was a lack of proper planning for the event. Too, Have been detected serious mistakes in the answer after the weather conditions deteriorated significantly during the May 22 race.

Following the disaster, the Chinese authorities they also suspended all sporting events high risk risks that lack clear oversight, rules and security standards. He also ordered the creation of an entity responsible for this function.

Suspended sports include trail running, desert hiking, wingsuit flying, and cross-country running., as stated in a statement from General administration of sports China; however, it is not known how long this ban will remain in effect.

One more death

A Chinese county official apparently committed suicide by jumping into the void during the investigation into the deaths of 21 runners.

CCTV reported that Li Zuobi, secretary of the Communist Party of Jingtai County, jumped out of his apartment window; however, according to Reuters, state media reported that police homicide excluded but they did not say if his death was linked to the ultramarathon.

According to the China Athletic Association, 481 trail races and 25 ultramarathons were held in 2019.