South Asia News
Indian capital holds drill to test earthquake readiness
Feb 15, 2012, 7:34 GMT
New Delhi - A drill Wednesday to test New Delhi's preparedness to handle a major earthquake saw the evacuations of more than 240 schools, six metro stations, malls, hospitals, cinemas, flyovers, government offices and an airport terminal.
Sirens sounded around the city during the hour-long drill that tested the Indian capital's response to a mock magnitude-7.9 quake lasting 40 seconds.
Ambulances crisscrossed the city, responding to emergency calls by citizens and picking up fake dead and injured.
At least 100 observers were placed at more than 400 locations where the drill took place. The data collected is to be studied to assess the response time of agencies, said Vijay Dev, Delhi Disaster Management Authority secretary.
New Delhi is located in an earthquake-prone zone. It has often been shaken by moderate quakes of 4 to 6 on the Richter scale with epicentres within 100 to 200 kilometres of the city.
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