Savilahti sports and events centre in Kuopio was used as a civil defence shelter for the first time, with more than 2,000 people taking part in the exercise.The Savilahti sports and events center, Luolaa, has the capacity to hold up to 7,000 people in emergency conditions.Yle News4.9. 10:39An exceptionally large civil defence exercise was held in Kuopio on Wednesday, with more than 2,000 people spending around two hours inside the Luola sports and events centre in the Savilahti district of the city.The drill was the largest civil defence exercise in Europe since the end of World War II.Wednesday's exercise was also the first time Luola has been tested in its secondary role as a civil defence shelter. Construction of the facility was completed two years ago and it has been described as one of Europe's most modern dual-use shelters.As part of the exercise, a scenario was created in which cyberattacks had disrupted critical infrastructure in Kuopio, including power and water supplies, while the threat of missile strikes had increased.The North Savo Rescue Department and the City of Kuopio led the exercise.Students from nearby Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Savo Vocational College and Luovi Vocational College took part in the simulated scenario.The educational institutions received an alert to move to a civil defence shelter at around 11.30am. The students had about half an hour to reach Luola, which was the nearest shelter.Smooth evacuationThe exercise's deputy director, Antti Haataja, preparedness manager at the North Savo Rescue Department, was surprised by how smoothly and quickly the evacuation went."It was calm, and there was no sign of fear among the people. It worked really well," Haataja said.The shelter doors were bolted shut when all the people participating in the exercise were inside.The largest sports hall in Luola was divided into separate shelter areas using screens, with space for around 200 people in each.There were not enough beds for everyone, meaning people would have to rest in shifts. The more than 2,000 participants had access to just 60 dry toilets.The two-hour exercise included resting, playing cards and using smartphones. Participants could also visit information points set up around the shelter.According to Haataja, a real emergency would look different. People taking shelter would be assigned various tasks, such as emptying the dry toilets, and divided into groups working in shifts.During a state of emergency, Luola can serve as temporary accommodation for up to 7,000 people. Under normal circumstances, it can accommodate around 2,500.The exercise continued until Thursday morning, with more than 100 people staying overnight. During the night, participants practised tasks including maintaining the civil defence shelter.International interestThe modern dual-use facility has also attracted international interest. For example, the US newspaper Wall Street Journal published a video report about Luola in February.According to initial information, journalists from Denmark, Germany, Poland and the United States, among others, took part in the exercise.