• Coronavirus in Hungary
  • Budapest
  • Hungary border control
  • HelloMagyar
EnglishFrenchGermanSpanish
EnglishFrenchGermanSpanish
Tragedy! – 21 ultramarathon runners die in China due to bad weatherTragedy! – 21 ultramarathon runners die in China due to bad weatherTragedy! – 21 ultramarathon runners die in China due to bad weatherTragedy! – 21 ultramarathon runners die in China due to bad weather
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Society
  • Sport
  • Culture
  • Special Hungary
  • News To Go
  • World
  • Contact Us
  • About us
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
✕
Breaking News
Support us
Daily News Hungary Daily News Hungary · 23/05/2021
· World

Tragedy! – 21 ultramarathon runners die in China due to bad weather

China disaster outdoor sports running
Ultramarathon runners die China

Illustration: Pixabay / wal_172619

Twenty-one people were killed when extremely cold weather struck during an ultramarathon on Saturday in rugged Gansu province in northwestern China, state media reported on Sunday, sparking public outrage over the lack of contingency planning.

The 100-km (62-mile) race began from a lush tourist site at a bend in the Yellow River, China’s second-longest. The route would take runners through deep canyons and undulating hills on an arid plateau at an elevation of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 feet).

The race kicked off on Saturday morning with runners clad in t-shirts and shorts under overcast skies, according to photographs posted on the social media account of the Yellow River Stone Forest scenic area in Jingtai, a county under the jurisdiction of Baiyin city.

Around noon on Saturday, a mountainous section of the race was hit by hail, freezing rain and gales that caused temperatures to plummet, officials from Baiyin told a news briefing on Sunday.

A massive rescue effort was initiated, with over 1,200 rescuers dispatched, assisted by thermal-imaging drones, radar detectors and demolition equipment, according to Xinhua.

A landslide following the severe weather also hampered the rescue work, said officials from Baiyin, about 1,000 km (620 miles) west of the Chinese capital Beijing.

A total of 172 people took part in the race. By Sunday, 151 participants had been confirmed safe, while a last missing runner was found dead at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, state media reported.

The last missing marathon runner has been found dead, taking the total death tally to 21. Local government in Gansu Province has established a team to carry out in-depth investigation into cause of the incident. https://t.co/xsBVPdd4bY

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 23, 2021
  • India’s COVID tally passes 25 million; cyclone kills 19 in Gujarat state
  • Potential disaster avoided – Chinese rocket crashed west of the Maldives

Jingtai county saw a low of 6 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday excluding wind chill.

Baiyin – including Jingtai – was expected to see moderate to strong winds from Friday night through Saturday, according to the China Meteorological Administration in Beijing in a report late on Friday.

A separate report on the website of provincial weather services on Thursday also predicted a “significant” drop in temperature in most parts of Gansu – including Baiyin – through Sunday.

The deaths sparked public outrage on Chinese social media, with anger mainly directed at the Baiyin government and unhappiness over the lack of contingency planning.

“Why didn’t the government read the weather forecast and do a risk assessment?” one commentator wrote.

“This is totally a man-made calamity. Even if the weather is unexpected, where were the contingency plans?”

At the news briefing on Sunday, Baiyin officials bowed and apologised, saying they were saddened by the tragic deaths of the runners and that they were to be blamed.

The Gansu provincial government has set up an investigation team to further look into the cause of the deaths, the People’s Daily reported.

Fire Firefighter
Read alsoFire ravages hospital in Philippines treating COVID-19 patients

Source: Reuters

China disaster outdoor sports running
Share
Daily News Hungary
Daily News Hungary

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SUPPORT US

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive daily updates, news & stories about Hungary!

Select your location below or enter your country so we can deliver our morning newsletters to you in time.


Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.


.

Latest news
  • Snowstorm: Lufthansa plane almost ran out of fuel over Hungary, passengers in shock
  • What happened today in Hungary? – 3 February, 2023
  • Court: Hungary responsible for the death of a 22-year-old Syrian migrant
  • 510 EUR/month – would you work for that in Hungary as a university teacher?
  • Wizz Air considerably changed its summer schedule, ticket prices expected to grow
  • PHOTOS: you can meet with Hungarian international chess grandmaster here
  • Hungarians living in Ukraine in danger? Anti-Hungarian mood, enforced military conscriptions, atrocities
  • Orbán government moves away from Budapest

About us

Contact us

Copyright rules

© 2023 DailyNewsHungary. All rights reserved! | Server and development by Svigelj Levente E.V