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.

The two-day "Racing the Planet" event, a 100-kilometer (60-mile) single-stage ultra-marathon in the rugged Outback, was canceled and Hong Kong-based officials said their thoughts were with the injured competitors.

Michael Hull, one of the injured men, recalled how the fire roared towards them.

"The girls were just screaming and there was nothing we could do," an emotional Hull, 44, told the Ten news network.

The field featured 41 racers from 10 regions and countries including China, Malaysia, and South Africa, with the majority from Australia.

The group was injured after flames trapped it in a gorge in the El Questro Wilderness Park.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service said it took four hours for emergency calls to get through due to the remoteness of the location.

Fires had been burning in the area for a number of days and race officials said a "full investigation and report is being prepared".

Agence France-Presse