At least 20 people have died after extreme weather struck marathon runners in China’s northwestern Gansu province, according to local government officials.
Eight others were reportedly injured as of midnight.
Hail, freezing rain and gales hit a mountainous section of the 62-mile cross-country race on Saturday.
Temperatures plummeted on the high-altitude route in the Yellow River Stone Forest, a scenic tourist site in Jingtai county known for its spectacular stone pillars.
A total of 172 people took part. As of Sunday, 151 participants had been confirmed safe, including the injured, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
(Image: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock)
More than 700 rescuers have been deployed by the local government. One runner is missing, officials said.
The race was more than double the length of a standard marathon.
CNN reports that most competitors were wearing thin shorts and T-shirts as the cold conditions set in, and runners are said to have reported suffering from hypothermia.
One runner told local publication Red Star News: “At one point, I couldn’t feel my fingers. At the same time my tongue felt frozen, too.”
He decided to abandon the race, descending halfway down the mountain and taking refuge.
(Image: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock)
He said: “There were already about 10 more runners who came down earlier and we waited for rescue in [a cabin] for about an hour. Eventually about 50 runners came and took shelter in the cabin.”
Temperatures dropped again during the night due to the area’s complex terrain, making the search and rescue more difficult, the Xinhua news agency said.
A landslide following the severe weather also hampered the rescue work, according to Baiyin officials.
(Image: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock)
#BREAKING Extreme weather killed at least 20 people in a mountain #marathon race in China’s #Gansu Province, and one runner remained missing, said rescuers. pic.twitter.com/JGflO4Z5Mn
— People's Daily app (@PeoplesDailyapp)
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