A new medical training academy is aiming to give Hong Kong officials the ability to manage any possible disasters as quickly and efficiently as possible. While the city has yet to experience any major disasters, its high density has created a cause for concern among those in the emergency services.

The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine’s president, Dr Donald Li Kwok-tung, admitted the city could be better prepared in the event of a disaster: “It is time for Hong Kong to be better prepared for disasters. The city is densely populated. Once these incidents happen, there could be massive casualties … The aftermath of such tragedies could be profound.”

The academy has created a five year programme for dealing with natural or man-made disasters and aims to train around 30,000 people in that period. It will start training on November 1st and will offer its courses to members of the city’s emergency services in addition to the public.