BENGALURU: A 3.5-hr mock drill was conducted at Bengaluru airport on Friday, simulating the spillage of radioactive material, and a real-time scenario of two critically injured workers rushed to hospitals for treatment.
The exercise, led by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), was held to ensure airport staff are equipped to handle a dangerous situation like a radioactive spill.
The drill began at 10am in the Cargo District of the airport. The scenario enacted was that of spillage of radioactive material from a cargo vehicle transporting it inside the airport, said a source involved in the operation. “We used actual Cobalt-90 to serve as the radioactive material. ”
The spillage occurs in an area where 60 people are at work. “Two of them who are impacted by the radiation are in a serious condition. They faint and throw up non-stop. One was rushed to Bengaluru Rural Government Hospital and the other to Aster Hospital. Three with mild symptoms are treated at the spot.” KIA recently had another mock drill of a hostage situation inside an aircraft.