Around 8,200 sirens, which are used to alert the population to impending catastrophes, underwent their annual test in Switzerland on Wednesday.

The test included the general siren for emergency cases – from natural disasters to chemical hazards – as well as the water siren, which is for people living below dams.

A siren network was first created in Switzerland just before the Second World War when bomb attacks were feared, but since the 1980s the devices have been used to alert for possible catastrophes.

Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday launched an information campaign about emergency measures for nuclear power plant accidents. It is targeted at people living around the country’s five atomic stations, who will receive instructions by post in the next few days.

Officials have said that the new information material has nothing to do with the Fukushima nuclear accident of last year and was merely an update. There is as yet no evacuation plan in case of an incident; this is currently being developed, experts said.

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