Sirens were partially triggered in Haapsalu, Paldiski, Maardu, Narva, Pärnu, Rakvere, Kuressaare, Saku, Tallinn, Tapa, Tartu, Valga and Viljandi.

Meanwhile, in Jõhvi, Kohtla-Järve, Luunja Municipality, Põlva, Laagri and Saue, the emergency sirens failed to activate altogether.

Timo Tammemäe, a product owner at the IT and Development Center of the Ministry of the Interior (SMIT), confirmed that 72 percent of all sirens were activated successfully or with only a minor delay.

"The exact reasons why some sirens didn't go off are still being investigated," Tammemäe said, adding that it's highly likely that software-related bottlenecks are to blame. "We are continuing a thorough analysis, and will begin resolving possible problem areas as a priority starting this week."

The Rescue Board has also received feedback that the sirens were not loud enough and could not be heard from far away, and that some emitted crackling sounds.

"We're aware of the crackling, and the cause is still under investigation," Tammemäe acknowledged. "As for the volume, we can currently say that the sound level was at 72 percent of maximum volume. This was due to an automatic volume adjustment in the system software that occurred when the sound file was changed."

He added that the emergency sirens were initially planned to be tested at 90 percent volume on Wednesday.

"We apologize to everyone who had hoped to hear how the emergency sirens would actually sound in their town or area," said Tammemäe.

Large-scale test key to improvements

The SMIT official noted that Wednesday afternoon's test marked the very first time Estonia's entire public warning system was activated simultaneously.

"Of course, it's unfortunate we also ended up encountering some difficult lessons during the first run, but a test of this scale was vital," he explained. "We identified critical areas for improvement to ensure the system's reliability in an actual crisis. These types of exercises are absolutely necessary so that we're prepared in case of a real crisis."

Together with the Rescue Board and other partners, SMIT will evaluate the functioning of both the system's individual components and overall operation over the coming weeks. Critical improvements and development work are already underway.

Established over the past few years, Estonia's public warning system consists of several different channels and solutions, with the main elements including mobile apps, alerts on Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) channels, a nationwide emergency siren network as well as area-specific SMS emergency alerts.

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