The police and military, and emergency response departments, including medical staff, yesterday tested their ability to handle major terrorist attacks during the Beijing Olympic Games.
The one-hour exercise began at 2 pm in Beijing's Chaoyang Park, the location of the Olympic beach volleyball facility.
In the drill, a simulated chemical explosion blasted from the roof of a van parked about 100 m from the venue, filling the air with a yellow-green haze. The potentially fatal chemical agent rendered some 30 victims unconscious.
About 400 people acting as audience members evacuated the venue within three minutes under the direction of venue security staff.
In about 15 to 20 minutes, a dozen emergency vehicles arrived at the scene, carrying firefighters, medical staff, environmental inspectors and necessary equipment. Clad in protective suits and masks, the responders used water to clear the smoke and rapidly erected medical and disinfection tents within 20 minutes of their arrival.
Yesterday's exercise marked the beginning of a series of comprehensive anti-terrorism drills dubbed "Great Wall No 5", and the Ministry of Public Security said in a press release the drills would "test the city's emergency response capacity and smooth the coordination among various forces ahead of the Olympics". It also said the exercise was based on "real place, real time, real people and real equipment".
Media were kept in a contained zone about 50 m from the scene, and no interviews were given.
Beijing has been stepping up security measures as the Games approach. About 40 anti-terrorism teams, with 188 members in total, have recently been established in the city, Xinhua News Agency reported over the weekend.
The report said the major tasks for these teams are handling biological attacks, bombings, and chemical, nuclear and other radioactive accidents. They would be on duty round-the-clock from July 1.
Senior police officers have warned of "real terrorist threats to the Olympics".
Former Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang, now a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said early this month that fighting terrorism is the top priority of the Olympic security work.
In April, the ministry said it had foiled attempts by two terrorist groups in Xinjiang, alleged to have been planning to kidnap foreigners and stage suicide bombings during the Games.
Source: China Daily
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