Earthquake text alert to be sent Friday as part of disaster response drills

Taipei, Sept. 19 (CNA) An earthquake text alert will be sent out to cellphone users across Taiwan Friday morning as part of a series of drills being held Sept. 18-20 ahead of National Disaster Prevention Day, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The earthquake text alert will be sent to people's mobile phones at 9:21 a.m. Friday and will simulate a magnitude 7.3 earthquake striking Chiayi County, the CWA said in a press release Thursday.

The message will warn people to "drop, cover and hold on," the agency said.

At 10 a.m. and 10:10 a.m., people in coastal areas around the country will also receive text alerts simulating a tsunami warning, the CWA said.

At a press conference earlier this month, the Ministry of the Interior said this year's "disaster relief mobilization drills" from Sept. 18-20 would involve more than 1,000 participants from various ministries and local governments.

Taiwan began observing National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21, 2000, one year after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in central Taiwan killed more than 2,400 people.