Plane Crash Chaos: County Magistrate’s Shocking Drill Sparks Panic in Pengu
- The Penghu County government conducted a large-scale disaster relief mobilization exercise in conjunction with this year's National Disaster Prevention Day.
- The exercise was held in four venues simultaneously, with power transferred, making it the largest in history.
- During the exercise, a warning text message was sent to the public, stating that an aircraft had encountered strong winds and crashed, resulting in heavy casualties.
Penghu Conducts Large-Scale Disaster Relief Exercise, Causing Public Panic
Exercise Aims to Improve Disaster Response Capabilities
The Penghu County government conducted a large-scale disaster relief mobilization exercise in conjunction with this year’s National Disaster Prevention Day. The exercise aimed to test disaster prevention warning cell broadcast service messages (CBS messages) and improve emergency disaster response capabilities.
Exercise Details and Participants
The exercise was held in four venues simultaneously, with power transferred, making it the largest in history. Units participating in the exercise included personnel from the army, navy, firefighters, and medical institutions of Penghu County. Additionally, the fire departments of Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County participated, with civilian medical teams traveling from afar.
Public Panic Caused by Test Message
During the exercise, a warning text message was sent to the public, stating that an aircraft had encountered strong winds and crashed, resulting in heavy casualties. Although the message was clearly labeled as a test, it caused panic and criticism among the public.
Apology and Promise to Improve
In response to the public’s concerns, the Penghu County Government Fire Department publicly apologized and promised to add clear labels to future test messages to avoid causing public misunderstanding. The department also revised the earthquake and tsunami warnings to include the word “exercise” in the first line of the text.
County Magistrate’s Apology and Assurance
Penghu County Magistrate Chen Guangfu apologized to the public for the incident, emphasizing that the purpose of the exercise was to learn and update emergency disaster response capabilities. He urged the public not to panic and assured them that the government is working to improve disaster prevention and relief efforts.