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Rescue workers search in rough terrain for the participants of the ultramarathon who were surprised by the onset of the weather
Photo: Xinhua / imago images / Xinhua
At an ultramarathon event in China, 21 participants died due to a sudden storm.
A sudden onset of weather with hail, sleet and strong wind occurred on a high-altitude section of the cyclo-cross race near the city of Baiyin in Gansu Province.
State media reported on Sunday that the hundred-kilometer race started on Saturday morning in a popular tourist area under an overcast sky.
Social media images show the runners were wearing t-shirts and shorts.
Then around noon in a mountainous section of the route there was a sudden fall in the weather: “Suddenly hailstones and freezing rain fell and the wind picked up.
The temperature was dropping rapidly, ”said Baiyin's Mayor Xuchen Zhang.
The organizers of the 100 km race immediately sent rescue teams, the event was canceled a little later.
According to initial findings, the 172 participants in the ultramarathon were hit by hail, freezing rain and gusts of wind almost 30 kilometers after the start. In addition, the temperatures dropped drastically within a very short time. Warming blankets from the runners' emergency equipment were simply blown away, Xinhua reported. Since the run partly led through rough terrain, the search for the runners hit by the storm turned out to be extremely difficult.
According to local media, the Chinese marathon stars Jing Liang and Guanjung Huang are also among the victims.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, more than 700 rescue workers were on duty.
151 participants were brought to safety and eight runners were treated in hospital.
The event took place in the stone forest on the Yellow River, a mountain landscape famous for its stone formations.
The provincial government of Gansu has set up a special commission to investigate the accident.
oka / Reuters / sid
