Koeberg evacuation sirens sound due to ‘system error’

Emergency evacuation sirens, meant to warn Cape Town residents of a problem at the Koeberg power station, sounded on Thursday – but, according to the city, this was a false alarm.

The sirens, which, based on social media accounts, appeared to sow some fear among residents around South Africa’s only nuclear power station, were triggered by accident, News24 reported Koeberg spokesman Lewis Phidza as saying.

The sirens are reportedly tested every week, but this is done silently. The fact that they issued an audible alarm was a mistake.

The City of Cape Town tweeted that it had been alerted to the fact that the Koeberg sirens were sounding “in certain areas”.

“This is a system error and there is no emergency.”  — © 2022 NewsCentral Media