A major inter-departmental exercise will be held on April 26 and 27 in Hong Kong to test the response capability in the event of a serious off-site accident at the nuclear power stations in Daya Bay, Hong Kong's government news website said Friday.

More than 1,000 officers from more than 30 government agencies will take part in the drill, which is based on the revised Daya Bay Contingency Plan.

Following International Atomic Energy Agency standards, the contingency plan involves an "Emergency Zone" at a radius of 20 km from the power stations, and the drill will be held at Tung Ping Chau, which is the only place included in the Emergency Zone within Hong Kong's territory.

The officers will practice their response capability when faced with other emergencies or natural disasters that might possibly happen at the same time, including monitoring the air, seawater, drinking water, food and animals, and Hong Kong's immigration points.

Experts from abroad, the National Nuclear Safety Administration, the National Nuclear Emergency Co-ordination Committee and Guangdong emergency response organizations will observe the exercise.

Together with local observers, they will evaluate the drill's effectiveness and the performance of all parties, and make improvement recommendations.

Hong Kong's Security Bureau said although the chance of such an event is very remote, it is prudent to be prepared to ensure the protection of public health and safety in Hong Kong.

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