Citation

Niu S, Tian S, Zhang J. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Publisher Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/dmp.2021.320

PMID

34736549

Abstract

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, 21 runners were confirmed dead as a result of extreme weather during a 100-km, cross-country mountain marathon race in Baiyin City, Gansu Province, northwest China. They died owing to a sudden drop in air temperature with hail, freezing rain, and gales. The race was divided into 3 groups: healthy running, 21-kilometer cross-country race, and 100-kilometer cross-country mountain marathon race. Nearly 10 000 runners participated, according to the information released by the organizer, and 172 competitors participated in the mountain marathon race. The accident occurred from 20 km to 31 km (CP2 to CP3) in the mountain marathon race (Figure). 1 About 2 hours after the accident, the local governments initiated an emergency response and organized rescue forces, including local villagers and firefighters, to search on foot for the missing runners. The rescued runners were given clothes or quilts to keep warm and rapid-transferred to hospitals. The remaining 151 competitors were successfully rescued, and no rescuer died. It was one of the worst marathon disasters ever. It is necessary to identify the lessons that can be learned from it...

Language: en

Keywords

hypothermia; disasters; marathon