New Delhi, Jul 20 (IANS): Several people in India took to Twitter after they received a test "Emergency Alert - Severe" message from the government on their mobile phones.

The message, which caused some people to panic, states: "This is a test alert from the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India".

People were wondering if the "Emergency Alert" notification is a genuine test conducted by the government or a part of some kind of online fraud.

"Got this notification on my phone with a massive vibration. What is the emergency alert?" a user tweeted.

"@DoT_India received this notification several times. Please confirm that's it's nothing serious?? Many of us in society just got this notification on their respective mobile phones!!!???" another user said.

One user wrote, "A number of mobile users have been getting this notification since this morning. Please provide details about this alert. @DoT_India @TRAI @Dot_CCAMahnGoa".

According to reports, the notification flashing on people's phones is part of a system designed by the government to alert people in times of emergency, such as a flood or landslip.