BANGKOK, April 30 (UPI) -- A tsunami evacuation drill, led by Thailand's prime minister and involving 2,000 people, was declared successful Saturday.
The Friday drill, the first of its kind in Thailand, was held at Patong beach. It began with a tidal wave warning over a public address system, the Bangkok Post reported.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra then sounded a siren prompting the participants to use predetermined escape routes to designated areas that had been devised by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.
The exercise was observed by the governors of five tsunami-ravaged provinces, which will be expected to stage their own evacuation drills in the future.
The prime minister said regular drills would help restore tourists' confidence and help revive Thailand's tourism industry that waned following the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami.
