China tests its preparedness with tsunami drill

China conducted a tsunami drill Sunday as part of the transnational and pan-Pacific drill, the country's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) announced.

The drill -- Exercise Pacific Wave 13 -- aimed at testing the marine environmental forecasting authorities' capacity in receiving and distributing alert information and their emergency response, reported Xinhua.

Organised by the SOA, the drill was carried out by the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Centre (NMEFC).

It simulated a scenario where a 9.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the ocean off the Philippines at 1.50 p.m Sunday, triggering a huge tsunami.

The NMEFC immediately began analysing its impact on China and reported it to the SOA.

The SOA sent the tsunami alert to all potentially-impacted coastal areas and oceanic forecasting agencies across the country soon issued warnings to nuclear facilities, ports, petrochemical projects and inventories in the hazardous zone.

The NMEFC finally lifted the warning after confirming the tsunami had drawn to an end.

The drill was launched by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (IOC/UNESCO) across the Pacific region. The transnational drill lasts from May 1 to May 14.

It was the fourth time China participated in the IOC/UNESCO drill.