On the afternoon of August 21, the Water Police of Suzhou Police Bureau and Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) Team carried out a joint drill of underwater search and rescue at Lake Tai Bay, and the exercise items included salvage of sunk objects, rescue of the drowning, self-rescue from overturned canoes, and water-borne patrol, etc.

The BSR Team is a civilian-run organization registered in SIP with 50-odd members. During the summer this year, the team members would assemble at Lake Tai Bay for water-borne rescue drills at weekends. According to Ma Long, the team leader, in the crisscross waterways of Suzhou, drowning occurred frequently in summer, and through the weekly trainings, the team has mastered the comprehensive rescue skills in bodies of water. The team has also purchased underwater acoustic testing equipment and motorboat at its own expense to strengthen its rescue competence.