Within a very short time, the temperature fell, hail blocked visibility, blankets were blown away: in China, more than 20 participants in an ultramarathon lost their lives.
Beijing (AP) – At least 21 participants in a mountain marathon in northwest China were killed in “extremely bad weather”.
Eight other participants in the ultramarathon in Gansu Province were brought to nearby hospitals for treatment, reported the online portal “The Paper”. The 100-kilometer marathon that started in the Jingtai District National Park on Saturday was canceled. According to the Xinhua state agency, one participant in the race was still missing.
According to initial findings, the 172 participants in the ultramarathon had already been hit by hail, freezing rain and squalls just 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. A total of around 1200 helpers took part in the search for the runners.
The provincial government has meanwhile set up a special commission to investigate the incident.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210523-99-710153 / 2
The Paper (Chinese)
