Fact Check: Was There A Tsunami Alert In Goa?

Panjim: For those who are aware of the devastating earthquake in Indian Ocean in December 2004, the word tsunami evokes scary images.

Around 2.3 lakh people, including over 10,000 in India died as a 100-foot high tsunami wreaked havoc in south Asia.

Imagine how people reacted when they heard a tsunami warning!

Yes it happened in Goa on Wednesday night, reported PTI.

A siren meant to sound a tsunami warning went off by mistake from the Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) at Porvorim, triggering panic among local residents.

The siren blared out after 9 pm and continued for more than 20 minutes, informed local people.

The EWDS is installed on a hillock at Porvorim, in North Goa, on the outskirts of state capital Panaji.

“It was a false warning as there was no such intimation of tsunami from any of the authorities… There was no mock drill or anything. I have personally checked and found out that there was no warning either from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) or Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS),” said North Goa district collector Mamu Hage.

The collector has directed the state Water Resources Department (WRD) to find out why the siren started playing from the EWDS.

State WRD minister Subhash Shirodkar has also sought a report on the false alarm.

The embarrassed authorities are probing whether the siren went off due to a technical error or someone played a prank.