Kullu: Sirens wailed and emergency teams mobilised across Himachal Pradesh on Friday as the state conducted a large-scale earthquake preparedness drill designed to test its disaster response systems and inter-agency coordination.

Simulating a massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake with its epicentre in Kangra, the mock operation unfolded simultaneously in all 12 districts, affecting sites from remote mountain towns to busy city centres.In Kullu, the scenario imagined aftershocks causing destruction across seven locations. These included damage to a community health centre in Tegubehar, a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) near Manali's Aleu area, structural collapse at the Bhutnath Bridge and Tibetan Market, and dam damage in Sainj Valley.

The district's deputy commissioner, Torul S Ravish, said the simulation helped assess the coordination and response time of government departments, and highlighted areas for improvement.

"Mock drills allow us to identify gaps in disaster preparedness and fine-tune our coordination mechanisms. We are committed to addressing the shortcomings identified today," Ravish said.In Mandi, key sites including the Indira Market complex and Regional Hospital staged scenarios ranging from flash floods to landslides and fire incidents.

The control room was activated under deputy commissioner Apoorva Devgan, with real-time supervision from police and civil officials. Emergency teams responded to simulated floods near Balichowki and canal damage in Sundernagar, while a mock fire broke out at Karsog Degree College.In Lahaul-Spiti, one of India's most remote districts, responders enacted a full rescue operation after a simulated building collapse and fire near Keylong police ground.

Deputy commissioner Kiran Bhardwaj oversaw the exercise, which included ambulance evacuations, search and rescue, and triage of the injured. Parallel drills occurred in Udaipur, Kaza and Kukumseri, where scenarios included landslides and collapsed school and residential buildings.Bhardwaj said: "Our teams responded swiftly. The exercise demonstrated commendable coordination between police, paramilitary forces, medical staff and community volunteers."

At Kaza's Govt Senior Secondary School, an earthquake-induced landslide simulation left 20 mock casualties, including eight seriously injured. Rescue teams, including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), evacuated victims to a relief camp set up for treatment.Similar drills were carried out across other districts, including Shimla, Kangra, Chamba, Solan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and Kinnaur, each simulating region-specific disaster scenarios.

The statewide exercise, coordinated by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, was aimed at stress-testing the government's readiness for seismic disasters in the quake-prone Himalayan region.

Authorities said this kind of drills are crucial to saving lives when real disasters strike — by improving response times, clarifying agency roles, and building public awareness in vulnerable mountain communities. MSID:: 121676469 413 |

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