False tsunami alert triggers panic at Porvorim in Goa; probe ordered

A siren giving a warning about tsunami erroneously started playing from the Early Warning Dissemination System at Porvorim near here, triggering panic among the local residents, an official said on Thursday.

The siren started sounding the alert after 9 pm on Wednesday and it continued for more than 20 minutes, local residents said.

Whether the siren went off due to any technical error or any other reason is being probed, with a state minister saying that he has sought a report into it.

The Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) is installed on a hillock at Porvorim in North Goa on the outskirts of state capital Panaji.

Talking to reporters on Thursday, North Goa District Collector Mamu Hage said, "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 the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)," she said. The collector said she has directed the state Water Resources Department (WRD) to find out why the siren started playing from the EWDS. People living in the nearby areas said the siren created panic among the locals.

Talking about it, local resident Avinash R said, "We were on a walk after dinner when we heard the siren. Initially we panicked, but we soon realised that it could be a mock drill." When contacted, state WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar said he has sought a report from his office, which will be received by this evening. North Goa District Disaster Authority said in a social media post, "There are certain reports of Siren alerting Early Warning Dissemination System at Porvorim of a Tsunami alert. It is clarified that no such Alert of Tsunami is issued by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS). "The citizens are requested not to panic," it added.