‘Extremely Severe Alert’ sparks meme fest: ‘Thought it was war, heart attack incoming' joke netizens after loud phone sounds

On Saturday at around 11.40 am, mobile phones of Indians suddenly beeped loudly or displayed an unexpected "Extremely Severe Alert," and this was because the Centre is conducting a nationwide test of its new Cell Broadcast emergency alert system. Minutes later, people took to social media to share memes and hilarious one line jokes about the alerts.

The test conducted by the government left many people confused and many of them were unable to comprehend what actually happened. While some said they were sacred, others suggested the government to use better ringers, literally. A loud sound echoed through multiple mobile phones, confusing people as to what had happened.

'Extremely severe alert' memes

"�������� ���������� ���������� ���� ���� ������������ �������� ������������ ����! Some weak people will get a heart attack.GOI scroll for better ringers!," one user joked. "My entire family received it, and we’re running from one room to another out of fear. The alerts say “Extremely Severe", wrote another.






"Me almost dropped my phone when the alert came," wrote another on X. "Emergency message testing today and like sitting with family. All phones start ringing at the same time with this beep straight out of a crisis movie. Heart attack incoming," another one joked.




"This scared the fck out of me and my homies, extreme severe alerts," wrote another user. "I received this cell broadcast alert and for a second I thought we got into war," another person quipped on social media. "That disaster alert text in a crowded public space!," said another. "#EmergencyAlert test message really freaked me out," said another netizen.

'Extremely severe alert' meaning

Loud siren-type sounds buzzed through people's phones and when they checked, a message starting with the words ‘Extremely severe alert’ flashed with the following text: “India, launches Cell Broadcast using indigenous technology, for instant disaster alerting service for its citizens. Alert citizens, safe nation. No action is required by the public upon receipt of this message. This is a test message. - Government of India.”

The development happened government said it would be testing a mobile-based disaster alert system and urged citizens to ignore it.

"As part of the pan-India rollout and the launch of the Cell Broadcast (CB) facility, nationwide testing and trials are currently being conducted to assess the system's performance and reliability prior to its formal inauguration and dedication to the nation. During this period, members of the public may receive test messages in English, Hindi and regional languages on their mobile devices," the statement said, as quoted in a PTI report on Wednesday.