About 5,000 civil servants took part in a counter-terrorism and major incident exercise at the Hong Kong Port Area of the new Huanggang port, aiming to step up departmental response capabilities.

The counter-terrorism exercise on Saturday simulated an extremist shooting attack to test how effectively different departments coordinate evacuations and respond to threats.

The major-incident exercise meanwhile, simulated a serious traffic accident on the new connecting road to the port.

Prior to the drills, participants from roughly 30 bureaus and departments used various modes of transport to reach the port's public transport interchange. They then walked through the terminal's arrival and departure halls before exiting the facility via public transit.

More than 250 vehicle trips were carried out, with the process repeating in loops to simulate pedestrian and vehicle flow.

Participants also simulated queuing for clearance at the port to test crowd-control measures.

For the first time, the exercise simulated peak-hour travel with a high-density crowd test to evaluate coordination between departments.

It was the second stress test in a week at the Hong Kong side of the port.

Security secretary Chris Tang who inspected the dill on-site, held a review meeting immediately afterward to assess the workflow and participant feedback for future drill enhancements.

A government spokesman said the drill went smoothly, adding that more will be scheduled to prepare for the opening of the port.

“The HKSAR Government will work closely with the Shenzhen side to press ahead with the various preparatory tasks at full steam,” it added.

Writing on social media, the Fire Services Department said it took part in multiple joint emergency response and rescue exercises with various departments, including the Force, the Immigration Department and the Department of Health at the port in the past week, to enhance the efficiency of emergency rescue, evacuation and resource deployment.

To help the public better understand the redeveloped facility, the Security Bureau launched a dedicated webpage for the new Huanggang Port ahead of its opening.




Edited by Azam Khan