Bhutan earthquake drill aided by Nepal experts and CDRI backing
A full-scale earthquake simulation in Thimphu tested emergency response and resource mobilization, revealing gaps in equipment and hospital readiness. The exercise was run by Nepal’s NSET with support from CDRI and Bhutanese authorities, illustrating cross-border collaboration on disaster resilience
Key takeaways
- A June 23 full-scale seismic drill in Thimphu tested inter-agency response, hospital coordination and resource mobilization.
- The scenario assumed a magnitude 7.5 earthquake with mass casualties and infrastructure damage.
- Gaps were identified in the immediate availability of field-hospital resources and equipment.
- NSET led the exercise with support from CDRI and Bhutanese authorities.
What Happened
The Nepali capital city’s earthquake specialists supported a comprehensive field exercise in Thimphu, Bhutan, on June 23. The scenario simulated a magnitude 7.5 quake in the capital, creating mass casualties, damaged structures, disrupted roads and a broken power supply. The exercise aimed to evaluate how authorities, hospitals and responders would coordinate, communicate and mobilise resources in a disaster setting.
The National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET) designed and ran the exercise with technical assistance from the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Bhutanese authorities as part of strengthening the Thimphu Earthquake Contingency Plan. The scenario involved nine locations in Thimphu, including a simulated hotel collapse, heavily damaged residential blocks and a fire in a major commercial area, with a mass-casualty response at the main referral hospital and two primary health centres.
During the drill, some emergency staff could not reach the hospital due to family matters or blocked roads, and the hospitals were without power at times. Evacuations to designated safe zones occurred, temporary medical tents were established, and ambulances transported simulated casualties from affected zones. The exercise also tested how multiple agencies would coordinate, make decisions and mobilise resources under pressure.
Officials noted gaps in equipment and resources that could hinder immediate field-hospital deployment if the main hospital became unavailable. A hospital incident commander described the lack of readily mobilisable field-hospital resources as a current constraint highlighted by the drill.
CDRI’s Director General, Amit Prothi, emphasised that simulations help identify weaknesses because participants know where resources should be deployed in real incidents, enabling targeted improvements. The exercise complemented an earlier tabletop exercise and is part of ongoing efforts to bolster Bhutan’s contingency planning in a seismically active Himalayan region.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
