VILNIUS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A four-day civil drill involving 24 public institutions and six municipalities kicked off on Tuesday in Lithuania to test response readiness in case of a nuclear accident at the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in neighboring Belarus, the Lithuanian government announced.
The country's Interior Minister, Rita Tamasuniene, said the exercise is aimed at identifying ways to improve interoperability between the local authorities and their readiness to ensure the safety of residents.
On the first day of the exercise, local authorities tested the public alert systems, including sirens, public broadcasting and messaging, and a special website.
Around 70 percent of residents in southeastern Lithuania received alert messages on their smartphones, the country's Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD) said.
PAGD blamed potential problems with older phones and licensing issues for failing to reach part of the population.
In the next few days, evacuation drills will be held in the eastern part of the country.
The exercise is held against the backdrop of disagreements between Lithuania and Belarus over the safety of the Astravets NPP situated around 50 kilometers from the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
Lithuania has been campaigning against the Astravets NPP, claiming that the project fails to meet international safety and environmental standards. Belarus rejects the allegations and had denied the Astravets NPP has any safety issues.
