A top county-level Chinese Communist Party official died after authorities launched an investigation into the fatal ultramarathon held last month in northwest China.
On June 9, Li Zuobi, the Communist Party Secretary of Jingtai County of Gansu Province, died after falling from the building where he lived, officials confirmed Friday at a provincial government press conference.
The tragedy sparked calls for probe and criticism of the organizers—the municipal government of Baiyin, county government of Jingtai, and Gansu Shengjing, a company that operated the event.
The exact cause of Li’s death remains unknown, but investigators said at the press conference that homicide has been ruled out.
Meanwhile, Chinese netizens speculated on Chinese social media site Weibo that Li committed suicide.
Gansu provincial authorities handed down punishment to 27 local authorities, dismissing the head of Jingtai county, detaining two lower-ranked officials, and giving most warnings and demerits.
Among the 21 victims were top ultramarathon runners Huang Yinbin and Cao Pengfei, as well as China’s ultramarathon record holder, Liang Jing.
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