"The cold became more and more unbearable": China is investigating the death of 21 ultramarathon participants

Authorities in the Chinese province of Gansu are investigating the tragedy that occurred during the 100-kilometer ultramarathon, which took place over rough terrain in the northwest of the country.

A sharp deterioration in weather conditions led to the death of 21 race participants.

According to the mayor of Baiyin City Zhang Xiuchen, the organizers were not prepared for the temperature drop, accompanied by strong winds and freezing rain.

The weather also made the subsequent rescue operation much more difficult.

“As organizers of the competition, we feel a lot of guilt.

We mourn the victims and offer our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and injured, ”The New York Times quoted Zhang as saying.

On the morning of May 22, 172 people took to the start of the annual Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon. The route started in the popular tourist landscape park "Huanghe Shilin" and passed through the local mountain range. The weather was quite warm in spring, and forecasters did not foreshadow any major changes.

However, by 13 o'clock in the afternoon, when the participants covered from 20 to 30 km of distance, the situation changed dramatically.

A gusty wind began to blow, the temperature began to drop and, according to some estimates, dropped to 0 ° C, freezing rain and hail began to fall.

Extreme weather conditions and the lack of warm clothing for the athletes - many wore T-shirts and lightweight shorts to facilitate their outfit - quickly led to hypothermia.

The bodies of some of them could not stand it, and they fainted, those who remained conscious tried to find shelter and record video messages asking for help.

One of the athletes said that he decided to withdraw from the distance when, due to the cold, he stopped feeling his fingers, and his tongue literally froze in his mouth.

“At the direction of the rescuers, I turned back on the descent from the mountain and entered the wooden hut, where there were already ten runners who had come down before me.

We waited for about an hour to be rescued.

In total, about 50 people took refuge in the hut, "the CNN athlete quotes, citing the Chinese edition of Red Star News.

An hour after the flurry of messages from the runners, the organizers announced the termination of the ultramarathon, rescue services and the military were sent to the emergency area to help the victims and search for the missing, of whom there were several dozen at that time.

The search operation using special equipment, including drones and thermal radars, was significantly complicated by weather conditions, landslides caused by rain, the onset of darkness, as well as poor communications in the mountains.

More than 700 people took part in the operation.

In total, 151 people were rescued, eight of them were injured of varying severity and were hospitalized.

21 athletes died, and the body of the latter was found only on Sunday.

Among the dead was the famous Chinese ultra-marathon runner Liang Jing, who was considered one of the most enduring athletes in the world at home.

He was the owner of two national records in this discipline - at distances of 149.51 km and 151.2 km.

Another victim of the tragedy was the champion of the national Paralympic Games Huang Guangjong.

It is assumed that not only hypothermia, but also unsuccessful falls became the cause of serious injuries and death of athletes.

In some sections, the road consisted of stones and sand, which, combined with a heavy wind and poor visibility, impeded safe movement.

In such tragic circumstances, there was also a place for heroism.

Comrades in misfortune extended their hand to some runners, while others were saved by a few local residents.

So, a certain shepherd came to the aid of a group of marathon runners, hiding them in a cave and lighting a fire for them.

“My situation was getting worse every minute.

The whole body was wet, including shoes and socks, and the wind only made the situation worse.

Because of the strong wind, I confess, I worried about my life even more.

The cold became more and more unbearable.

Then I found a relatively sheltered place and isolated myself there.

I managed to somehow get a blanket, but it was instantly blown away by the wind, "- quotes one of the championship runners with reference to Tencent Sports.

The authorities have to find out the reasons for the tragedy; an investigation group is currently working in the Yellow Hee Shilin.

Some experts are sure that the organizers are to blame for what happened, for they failed to ensure the safety of the participants in the race in the changed weather conditions.

So, according to the climber Chung Kin-man, during such competitions, rescuers are usually on duty at each control cutoff of the distance.

“A large number of victims is not typical for such open-air competitions, because the organizers are usually ready for any situation, no matter how bad the weather.

And runners have all the gear they need to avoid hypothermia at night.

It is the responsibility of the organizers to make sure that they have it, ”AppleDaily quotes Keen-man.

In turn, users of social networks drew attention to the fact that some weather forecasts did indeed predict a cold snap, but this fact was ignored by those in charge.

It is also noted that problems with the organization of this ultramarathon have arisen earlier.

So, according to one of the athletes, in 2018, the participants in the race were not provided with a sufficient amount of sports drinks and special meals.