Storm and hail surprised: 21 dead in extreme jogging in Gansu province, China

The 100-kilometer race started on Saturday morning in Baiyin, a tourist area in Gansu, on the banks of the Yellow River. Photos on social media show runners in t-shirts and shorts, under cloudy skies. Shortly after noon, just on the highest and most difficult stage of the race, the riders were taken by storm.

Participants were on a narrow mountain trail when a hailstorm erupted and the temperature dropped sharply. Many riders became hypothermic and some could not descend on their own. 21 of them died instantly. The mountain trail was part of a twenty kilometer stage where no checkpoint was possible due to the rugged nature.

The organizers launched a large-scale rescue operation with more than 1,200 men and drones equipped with thermal cameras. The research was complicated by landslides. A participant testified on the Guancha news site that hypothermic horsemen had taken refuge in a hut for an hour, after which they were told that ambulances could not reach them and that they would have to descend on their own. Five of the 21 deceased participants were not found until Sunday.

‘Not a natural disaster’

There is a lot of criticism from the organizers on Chinese social media. Local weather reports predicted “moderate to strong winds” and “significant temperature drops”, but no precautions were taken. “This is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster,” said one commentator.

An experienced ultramarathon runner told Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, that it was irresponsible to let participants go without a coat. This is mandatory for professional ultramarathons in the mountains. “Many tourist regions organize sports competitions to earn money. But if there is no guarantee of safety, this place is not suitable for competitions.

At a press conference, the organizers strongly apologized and took the blame. The Gansu provincial government has announced an investigation.

China has been hit by more natural disasters in recent days. On Friday night, an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale in southwestern Yunnan province left three people dead and 24 injured. A 7.4 on the Richter scale earthquake occurred in Qinghai province on Saturday. A bridge collapsed, but there were no casualties.