Runners burned in Australian Outback

SYDNEY - Four runners were badly burned after becoming trapped in a wildfire that engulfed a gorge during an ultra-marathon in Australia's Outback, race organizers said on Sunday.

Two women, both Australians, were clinging to life with burns to between 80 and 90 percent of their bodies and two men were also in hospital with serious burn injuries after wildfires hit the remote western Kimberley region on Friday.

"Two competitors were evacuated by helicopter with significant burns. They were treated by the local hospital in Kununurra and have since been flown to another hospital," race organizers said.