China ultramarathon: Extreme cold weather kills 21 runners in cross country race in Yellow River Stone Forest
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ByEurosport
Updated 24/05/2021 at 10:52 GMT
High winds and freezing rain struck those who took part in the 60-mile ultramarathon in the Yellow River Stone Forest in Gansu province in China on Saturday. The race was stopped when 172 runners went missing. Many others suffered from hypothermia. In a news conference on Sunday, Baiyin's Mayor Zhang Xuchen said: "As the organiser of the event, we are full of guilt and remorse."
China ultramarathon
Image credit: Getty Images
Twenty-one runners have died at the China ultramarathon in north-western China.
The race began at 9am local time and the extreme weather struck three hours in. Visibility worsened with racers no longer able to see ahead of themselves.
According to state media, 1,200 rescuers were deployed and the rescue operation was carried out through the night. Organisers have come under heavy criticism.
In a news conference on Sunday, Baiyin's Mayor Zhang Xuchen said: "As the organiser of the event, we are full of guilt and remorse.
"We express deep condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the injured."
Officials confirmed 151 runners were safe with eight injured.
Of the half dozen frontrunners, long-distance runner Zhang Xiaotao was the only one to survive Saturday's disaster in the highlands. Recovering from his ordeal, 29-year-old Zhang recounted how he was found unconscious by a herdsman who carried him to safety.
"I pressed SOS on my GPS tracker and then I passed out," Zhang wrote in a post on a day later on Weibo, a Twitter-like microblog popular in China.
"I was unconscious on the mountain for about 2-1/2 hours until a herder passed by and carried me to a cave."
"He set up a fire and wrapped me in a quilt. And after another hour or so I woke up."
Additional reporting from Reuters.
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