Haunggang port counter-terrorism drill runs smoothly

More than 5,000 civil servants participated in a counter-terrorism and major incident exercise at the new Huanggang port in Hong Kong on Saturday. The drill aimed to enhance departmental response capabilities by simulating an extremist shooting attack and a major traffic accident on the connecting road. Participants from around 30 bureaus and departments traversed the port's public transport interchange, navigating through arrival and departure halls before exiting via public transit.

Over 250 vehicle trips were carried out to simulate pedestrian and vehicle flow, with the process repeating in loops to test crowd-control measures. For the first time, the exercise simulated peak-hour travel to evaluate departmental coordination. Security secretary Chris Tang held a review meeting after the drill to assess workflow and participant feedback.

The drill, the second in a week, went smoothly, with the government promising more stress tests to prepare for the port's opening. The HKSAR Government pledged to collaborate closely with Shenzhen for the preparatory tasks. The Fire Services Department joined multiple joint emergency response and rescue exercises with various departments to improve emergency rescue, evacuation, and resource deployment efficiency.

The Security Bureau also launched a dedicated webpage to help the public understand the redeveloped facility ahead of its opening.