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China Probes Deaths of 21 Runners After Freak Weather Hits Ultra-marathon

Agence France-Presse

   An investigation was underway Monday into the deaths of 21 runners
   during a mountain ultra-marathon in northwest China, as harrowing
   testimonyemergedfrom survivors who battled to safety through freezing
   temperatures and bone-chilling winds.

   The extreme weather struck a high-altitude section of the
   100-kilometer(62-mile) race held in the scenic Yellow River Stone
   Forest in Gansu province Saturday afternoon.

   Provincial authorities have set up an investigation team tolook intothe
   cause of the incident, state media reported, as questions swirled over
   why organizersapparently ignoredextreme weather warnings from the
   city's Early Warning Information Centerin the lead up to the race,
   which attracted 172 runners.

   China's top sports body also vowed to tighten safety rules on holding
   events across the country.

   Survivors gave shocking testimony of events on the rugged mountainside,
   where unconfirmed meteorological reports to local media said
   temperatures had plunged to as low as minus 24 degrees Celsius (minus
   11 degrees Fahrenheit).

   "The wind was toostrong,and I repeatedly fell over,"wrote race
   participant ZhangXiaotao in a Weibo post.

   "My limbs were frozenstiff,and I felt like I was slowly losing control
   of my body... I wrapped my insulation blanket around me, took out
   myGPStracker, pressed theSOSbutton and lost consciousness."

   He said when he cameroundhe discovered a shepherd had carried him to a
   cave, placed him by the fire and wrapped him in aduvet.

   'Foaming at theirmouths'

   Marathon survivor Luo Jing told state broadcasterCCTVshe saw runners
   struggling back down the mountain wearing only T-shirts and shorts.

   They"described to us people foaming at their mouths, and urged us to
   quit the race as soon as possible,"she said.

   Other survivors said insulation blankets provided by organizers were
   blown to shreds bystrong winds.

   One told state media as he battled down themountainhe saw many people
   lying on the ground, some he believed to be dead.

   Gansu province is often subject to extreme weather conditions including
   sandstorms and earthquakes.

   The Gansu Meteorological Bureau had warned of"sudden heavy showers,
   hail, lightning, sudden gale-force winds"and other adverse weather
   conditions across the province in a report dated Friday.

   Victims included elite Chinese long-distance runners Liang Jing and
   HuangGuanjun, local media reported.

   Liang had won multiple Chinese ultramarathons in recent years while
   Huang won the men's hearing-impaired marathon at the 2019 National
   Paralympic Games.

   Fury mounted on Chinese social media after the disaster, with many
   users blaming organizers for poor contingency planning.

   More than 84 million viewed the hashtag"Is the Gansu marathon accident
   natural orman-made?"while 130 million scoured a thread around safety
   concerns for marathons and cross-county races.

   "This is purelya man-madedisaster,"wrote one.

   China's topsportsgoverning body has issued instructions to the
   country's sports system to improve safety management in sports events.

   The previous management model for safety in races"had some problems and
   deficiencies,"the sports administration said in areadoutpublished
   Monday, and said allorganizationswould now have to set up detailed
   contingency plans and a mechanism to halt the event quickly if needed.

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