Ho Chi Minh City holds drill simulating radiation incident after traffic accident

The exercise, held at the second campus of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, involved traffic police, firefighters, and rescue teams.

The scenario simulated a collision between a pickup truck transporting radioactive materials and an oncoming vehicle, leaving the driver and an escort unconscious and trapped.

The pickup truck was carrying an iridium-192 radioactive source with an activity of 10 curies and other radioactive substances.

Responders initially treated the incident as a standard road accident before identifying radiation warning signs on the vehicle.

Authorities then expanded the safety cordon, secured the site, and activated radiation response procedures.

Firefighters were deployed after a risk of fire and explosion was identified. 

Once the simulated fire was extinguished, specialized teams recovered the radioactive sources.

Ho Chi Minh City manages more than 1,600 radiation-related facilities, including medical and industrial X-ray equipment and radioactive sources, Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran, deputy director of the city's Department of Science and Technology, said at the event.

She said drills were necessary to ensure emergency plans could be implemented effectively in real-world situations.