Stadium evacuated in exercise

FORTY thousand frightened concert-goers were evacuated last night as fire, police and ambulance staff battled flames at the Hong Kong Stadium - and nearby residents hardly heard a sound.

About 200 emergency workers and management staff swung into action just as rush-hour was in full swing at about 5 pm, setting in motion an evacuation that took about three hours.

But the whole thing - the only action the stadium has seen in weeks - was just an exercise.

''The scenario involved a fire in the stadium during an event necessitating the need to evacuate all spectators,'' said a spokesman.