Extreme cold kills 21 during mountain marathon in China

ANKARA

Some 21 people were killed on Sunday during a 100-kilometer (62 miles) cross-country mountain marathon in northwestern China, according to media reports.

Lasting almost 24 hours, rescue efforts to find five missing people have come to an end, state-run Xinhua News quoted local rescue authorities as saying.

Extreme cold gripped the region during the race with 172 participants that was held on Saturday morning in the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site in the area of Jingtai County, Baiyin City.

Another 151 participants have been confirmed safe. Eight of these have suffered minor injuries, Xinhua said.

"As the organizer of the event, we feel a deep sense of guilt and remorse," Zhang Xuchen, mayor of Baiyin City, told reporters on Sunday.

He expressed his condolences and sympathy to the victims and their families.