From a potential “dirty bomb” attack by terrorists, to possible hostage-taking incidents, China is conducting tests to make sure those events don’t occur.
State media reports next month China will test its response to a potential “dirty bomb” attack by terrorists on an Olympic stadium. The exact date, location and number of people involved were not given.
The drill involves a “dirty bomb” packed with explosives and radioactive material that is set off outside a mock Olympic stadium, reports the official Xinhua news agency quoting Beijing emergency response official Shan Qingsheng.
City health, environmental protection and disease control offices will all take part in the drill. The fire brigade will first use radiation detectors to find a safe route to the scene of the mock explosion and the other departments will have to respond immediately, said Shan.
Medical teams will be used to assess the type and spread of radiation to give appropriate treatment to injured people.
The national medical centre for radiation incidents at Beijing University’s No. 3 Hospital will receive and treat the “victims”. The hospital has set up a rapid-response team of 63 medical workers and is preparing for the drill, said hospital official Zhang Shulan. “If Beijing is now hit by a ‘dirty bomb’ we are able to provide more than 100 beds for the injured”.
Meanwhile a state level anti-terrorist exercise was held Tuesday afternoon in Beijing called Great Wall No. 4, focussing on security work for the Beijing Games. It tested Chinese police’s capacity to handle a hostage-taking incident during the Games, reports Xinhua.
The blue side acted as terrorists and hijacked more than 20 athletes, confining the hostages in a building. The red side – special police – sealed off the building, scouted the surroundings and attacked the hijackers, successfully rescuing them.
A command group was set up to control the exercise but did not interfere.
The exercise tested the capacity of Chinese police to handle a large-scale hostage taking and helped improve China’s anti-terrorist ability, according to the Ministry of Public Security sources.
