BEIJING (AP) Family members of 21 runners who died when freezing rain and strong winds interrupted a weekend mountain race in northwestern China have rejected offers of compensation and want to know how the tragedy could happen, local media reported Wednesday.
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At least 21 ultramarathon athletes died after brutal weather swept across a mountainous area of northwest China during the Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon, state media reported Sunday.
An additional 151 participants in the 62-mile race in Baiyin City in Gansu Province were accounted for, and eight people were hospitalized in stable condition, local rescue headquarters reported.
The officials cited a sudden, dramatic change in the weather during Saturday s race in the Yellow River Stone Forest. At about 1 p.m., hail, freezing rain and gales hit the area of the race s high-altitude stage as runners were climbing 6,500 feet above sea level in shorts and T-shirts.
21 runners die in extreme weather during mountain race By LI LEI in Beijing and MA JINGNA in Lanzhou | China Daily | Updated: 2021-05-24 06:40 Share CLOSE Soldiers are seen in Saturday midnight during the rescue of marathon participants in Baiyin, Northwest China s Gansu province. [Photo/CCTV News app]
Twenty-one marathoners－some among China s most promising athletes－died in extreme weather during an annual mountain ultramarathon in Baiyin, Gansu province, local authorities said on Sunday.
Another eight were hospitalized for minor injuries, and the rest were rescued safe and sound.
The tragedy came after a round of hail, freezing rain and high winds caught 172 lightly dressed marathon runners off guard on Saturday as they were racing across winding mountainous tracks in the central part of Gansu.
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STR/AFP via Getty Images
At least 21 athletes died while competing in an ultramarathon in China Saturday, according to John Bacon of
USA Today.
The Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon is a 62-mile race in Baiyin City, Gansu Province, but this year s version saw a dramatic shift in weather in the mountains. There was reportedly hail, freezing rain and gales that unexpectedly hit the runners, who were wearing shorts and T-shirts at the time. Participants suffered from physical discomfort and loss of temperature due to the sudden drop in air temperature, Chinese state media reported.
Three-time race winner Liang Jing was among those who died.