More than 3,500 participate in earthquake drill in SW China

CHENGDU - More than 3,500 people participated in an earthquake drill in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Saturday.

The drill lasted for seven hours. The scenario was that a 6.5 magnitude earthquake had hit Muchuan County, a mountainous region about 220 kilometers south of Chengdu City.

Emergency workers dealt with possible fire and explosions triggered by the earthquake at chemical factories, and they also searched for stranded tourists in nearby scenic spots.

Armed police forces, medical staff, firefighters, officials, high school students and villagers all participated in the drill.

"This is good preparation, given certain characteristics of our region, " said Li Congdong, director of the emergency management school at Jinan University.

Southwest China's Sichuan Province is prone to earthquakes. On May 12, 2008 a magnitude 8 earthquake hit Wenchuan, killing more than 80,000 people.