China investigates death of 21 marathon runners who were struck amid extreme weather

An investigation is underway into the deaths of 21 runners during a mountain Ultramarathon in northwest China, state media reported on May 24. According to Xinhua News Agency, the extreme weather struck a high-altitude section of the 100-kilometre race held in the Yellow River Stone Forest in Gansu province Saturday afternoon. Following the death of 21 runners, the provincial authorities set up an investigation team to look into the cause of the incident as questioning swirled over why organisers ignored extreme weather warnings from the city’s Early Warning Information Centre in the lead-up to the marathon, which attracted almost 172 runners. 

The news agency said that the 21 runners suffered from physical discomfort and the sudden drop in temperature led to their death. After an all-night rescue operation in freezing temperatures involving more than 700 personnel, rescuers were able to confirm that 151 people were safe, out of a total of 172 participants. The runners were racing on an extremely narrow mountain path at an altitude reaching 6,500-9,800 feet. 

In Weibo posts, the survivors gave testimony of events on the mountainside, where meteorological reports to local media said temperatures had plunged to as low as minus 24 degrees Celsius. Race participant Zhang Xiaotao said that the wind was “too strong” and he repeatedly fell over. Zhang said that his limbs were frozen and he felt like he was slowly losing control of his body. “I wrapped my insulation blanket around me, took out my GPS tracker, pressed the SOS button and lost consciousness,” he said. 

CCTV reported that some runners farther along the course had even fallen off the trail into deep mountain crevices. Video footage showed rescuers in winter jackets in the pitch-dark night searching with flashlights along steep hills and narrow paths. One participant even said that as he battled down the mountain he saw many people lying on the ground, some he believed to be dead. 

Govt ‘full of guilt and remorse'

As per reports, Liang Jing, an ultramarathon champion, and Huang Guanjun, who won the men's hearing-impaired marathon at China's 2019 National Paralympic Games, were among the victims, state-run media reported. The deaths sparked public outrage on Chinese social media, with anger mainly directed at the government and unhappiness over the lack of contingency planning. Baiyin city Mayor Zhang Xuchen, on the other hand, profoundly apologized as the organizer of the event and promised a full investigation. 

While speaking at a news conference, 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”. 

(Image: Twitter/Unsplash)