Some 1,200 people from various forces, including the HCMC Fire Police, participated in the training exercise with its main assumed scenarios involving a chemical leakage, explosion and environmental protection.
The event was attended by Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, Member of Politburo, Secretary of the HCMC Municipal Party Committee and leaders of the 7th Military Region, Naval Command and many related agencies.
The exercise started with an assumed situation that a strong storm landed HCMC, causing damages to many containers at the port, including some dangerous chemicals.
The incident also caused a fierce fire and a large amount of chemicals spread out to the environment, poisoning 10 people working in the warehouse and 50 civilians nearby.
In response to the complicated situation, 15 different units, 135 vehicles and 1,200 people from various forces were mobilized and deployed to the scene.
Rescue forces with modern anti-poison equipment were trying to control the chemical leakage area,and with their poison masks to move the victims out of the dangerous areas to the hospital.
Firefighters from the HCMC Fire Fighting Police, specialized military vehicles and ambulances constantly raced to the scene to control the leaks and rescue victims.
Fire engines watered the scene in form of drizzle to dilute toxic gases in the environment. After 30 minutes, the entire area of chemicals leaking and fire was controlled. The forces continued to handle toxic gas emission into the environment.
The exercise was organized to evaluate the coordination among forces so that the local authorities can draw up the best plans for such incidents and eventualities in case they happen.