Chinese Dakar Rally participant Guo Meiling, along with her co-pilot Liao Min, are currently under observation in a hospital following an accident during the first day of the rally. The Chinese driver careened off the race track and crashed into a group of nearby spectators injuring 10 people including four children and a pregnant woman.

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Guo Meiling is the first Chinese woman to participate in the Dakar Rally, which is known as the most dangerous rally in the world. She was driving a Mini Cooper and crashed it into a group of spectators near Rosario, Argentina on the very first day of the rally.

Reports indicate that Guo is already in a stable condition after being brought to a nearby hospital. Her co-pilot appears to be on a physically good condition.

A doctor from the Santa Francisca de Arrecifes hospital reported that 10 people were being treated for injuries. These include one pregnant woman and four children.

One child and one adult man are said to have been seriously injured due to the accident. The child was hurriedly airlifted to a larger hospital while the man was transferred via an ambulance.

It was lately discovered that the two severely injured spectators was a father along with his 14-year-son who went to attend the rally.

Recorded footage of the incident have went viral on several social networking sites. Based on the footages, it appears that the vehicle Guo was driving swerved to the left straight to the right side of the dirt road before crashing into the nearby crowd that gathered to watch the competition.

Eight ambulances and four medical helicopters were deployed in order to take care of the injured spectators.

It appears that it might be a tough year for Dakar Rally participants as problems continue to arise while the rally progresses. The opening stage of the rally was reportedly cancelled due to bad weather. Furthermore, helicopters that were employed to guarantee the safety of all the participants were unable to fly due to harsh thunderstorms.

The 2016 Dakar Rally starts and ends in Argentina with a minor incursion into Bolivia. The initial plan for Peru but was ditched due to forecasts of the harsh El Nino weather that has caused floods and landslides in the past. 

TagsDakar, Dakar Rally, 2016 Dakar Rally, Dakar Rally 2016, Guo Meiling