Tragedy in China: 21 dead in ultramarathon due to bad weather

BEIJING.- In the midst of a hostile climate which involved hail, freezing rain and high winds, 21 people died in China when they participated in a Mountain race 100 kilometers.

According to official information, a total of 172 people were in the race. The deaths took place at a time when the runners were at a high altitude, in the stone forest of the Yellow River, near the town of Baiyin, in Gansu province.

Baiyin Mayor Zhang Xuchen said yesterday part of the route, between kilometers 20 and 31, was “suddenly hit by weather situation catastrophic ”. “Before long, hail and freezing rain suddenly fell in this area, and there were strong winds. The temperature has dropped drastically ”, he claimed.

Among the victims were two national marathon veterans, Liang Jing and Huang Guanjun. Liang has won several marathons in China in recent years. Huang, who was deaf and mute, won the men’s marathon for the hearing impaired at the 2019 National Paralympic Games in Tianjin.

The remaining 151 participants are safe and sound. Eight of them had to be treated in hospital for minor injuries, some runners suffered from hypothermia.

Shortly after receiving calls from some participants asking for help, the marathon organizers sent a team of rescue who managed to save 18 runners, added the mayor

After conditions deteriorated, the race was canceled and local authorities sent more rescuers to the scene. In total, there were around 700. “As the organizers of the event, we felt an immense sense of guilt, we expressed our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and injured runners,” Zhang said.

It was the fourth edition of this race, organized by the Baiyin City Government and the Chinese Athletics Association.

Local media images showed rescue teams with headlamps scaling the rocky terrain at night. Ultra-marathon runners were wrapped in emergency blankets.

“My whole body was soaked, including my shoes and socks. I couldn’t stand because of the wind, I was very afraid that the wind would blow me away. The cold was more and more unbearable “said a survivor. “Coming down the mountain, I was already experiencing symptoms of hypothermia.”

The temperature continued to drop overnight, making rescue efforts and the search for the missing even more difficult.

Today at a press conference, Zhang apologized, “We express our sincere condolences and solidarity with the families of the victims and injured.”

AFP and AP agencies

THE NATION