21 dead during mountain marathon in China

The death toll has increased to 21 after extreme weather hit participants in a 100-km cross-country mountain marathon race in Baiyin City, northwest China's Gansu Province, the local rescue headquarters said on Sunday, reported Xinhua.

Another 151 participants were confirmed safe, of which eight with minor injuries were treated in the hospital and in stable condition.

It was a public safety incident caused by a sudden change in local weather, and the province had set up a special team to further investigate the cause of the incident, said Zhang Xuchen, mayor of Baiyin City, at a press briefing on Sunday morning.

The marathon race was held on Saturday morning in the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in Jingtai County, Baiyin City.

Local governments initiated an emergency response and organized over 1,200 well-equipped rescuers to search for the missing people.