Twenty-one people running a mountain marathon cross-country race have died in northwestern China after hail, freezing rain and gale winds hit the high-altitude track, state media reports.
The rescue headquarters quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency said the participants suffered from physical discomfort and the sudden drop in temperature.
Some went missing in the extreme weather on Saturday afternoon, when the 100-kilometre race in the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in Baiyin city in Gansu province was halted.
Early on Sunday, rescuers found 21 people dead, including the last of the five missing following an all-night search that involved more than 700 personnel. The operation was made difficult by low temperatures and the complex terrain and topography.
An emergency vehicle drives toward the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in Baiyin in northwestern Chinas Gansu Province. Source: Xinhua
The runners were racing on an extremely narrow mountain path at high altitude, a reporter for state broadcaster CCTV said.
A total of 172 people had joined the race and 151 were confirmed to be safe. Some were treated for minor injuries and were stable, Xinhua said.
Baiyin Mayor Zhang Xuchen held a news conference on Sunday and profoundly apologised as the organiser of the event.
Emergency personnel and vehicles wait on standby at the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in Baiyin in northwestern China's Gansu Province. Source: Xinhua
"At around noon, the high-altitude section of the race between 20 and 31 kilometres was suddenly affected by disastrous weather," he said. "In a short period of time, hailstones and ice rain suddenly fell in the local area, and there were strong winds. The temperature sharply dropped.
"We express deep condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and the injured."
Gansu, one of China's poorest regions, borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west.
Rescuers carry equipment as they search for runners who were competing in a 100-kilometre cross-country mountain race when extreme weather hit the area. Source: AFP
Deadly floods and landslides have hit the province in the past, with mudslides reportedly killing well over 1,000 people in one town in 2010.
It is also prone to earthquakes.
Yellow River Stone Forest is famous for its rugged mountain scenery marked by stone stalagmites and pillars, and is used as a location in many Chinese television shows and movies, according to the China Daily.
Its rock formations are believed to be four billion years old, the Daily said.
